The Price of Victory
by Ezstarius
Summary: Follows the basic timeline... I think... but looks at different possibilities and outcomes. Everyone is IC, at least as far as I can tell... That's a very general summary, but I hate summarising.
1. The Will to Fight

**Disclaimer:**     I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion or any of the characters and/or themes associated with this series nor do I or will I ever claim to.  I am just a guy who is addicted to anime and have some ideas which I wish to share with fellow anime fans.

**Spoilers:         **There will definitely be spoilers in this fic, so if you haven't watched the series then I strenuously insist that you do so.

**Preface:**          First off this is my first Eva fic.  I'm not an experienced writer though I have read the majority of Eva fics on this site and have watched NGE over a dozen times, so I think that I have an acceptable understanding of the series.  That aside there will be quite a few changes from the series though the overall timeline will remain pretty much the same (at least that is my intention)

The story kicks off at the end of episode 6 where Shinji and Rei are fighting Ramiel, the 5th angel.  I hope you find this an entertaining tale as I have read so many good fics here and I would like to give something back to those who have spent so much time and effort with their works.  I foresee this story to be quite long though I couldn't give you an exact number of chapters as I haven't planned this at all, but each chapter will probably weigh in between 8000 and 12000 words.  

**Chapter 1 – The Will to Fight**

"Come on, Hurry up!"  Screamed a frustrated Shinji Ikari as the seconds seemed to drag on into infinity whilst he waited for the targeting reticule to lock on to the centre of the angel.  His first round against this particular foe was distinctly one sided and Shinji had no intentions of being pummeled again.  He could vividly remember the intense pain as Unit 01 was bathed in the vicious particle beam and wouldn't wish it upon anyone, least of all himself.  One near death experience was enough for him...at least for the time being.

He could hear the excited voice of Aoba over the communications link as he reported that the target was powering up for a shot at Unit 01.  This only added to Shinji's frustration as he was forced to wait long seconds for the optimum firing solution.  Finally after what seemed like an eternity (though in reality it was only several seconds) the targeting computer confirmed a lock and Shinji jerked the trigger.

A beam of intolerably bright light lanced out from the barrel of his Positron Sniper Rifle and arced instantaneously towards the stationary angel.  At precisely the same moment the angel's particle beam lashed out at Unit 01 and the beams passed so close to each other that they distorted each others trajectory and landed behind their respective targets.

Twin explosions of destructive fury lit up the darkened city of Tokyo III like the midday sun as they expended their phenomenal energies on the first solid object in their path.  An entire city block was instantly annihilated by Shinji's wayward shot as its energy expended itself.  Shinji winced at the carnage he had caused and barely registered the explosion on the mountain behind him.  The entire crest of the mountain was vaporized in the impact and only fused rock was left behind to mark the beams deadly caress.

"He missed!" gasped a startled Misato as she witnessed the destructive exchange between the two giants.  

"Replace the fuses and wait for the barrel to cool before firing again!" ordered Ritsuko with a worried expression.  It was only supposed to take one shot...she had been dreading this moment from the start.  The rifle wasn't designed to take the kind of stress they were putting it under and no one even knew if it would be able to fire a second shot...

Steam could be seen rising from the barrel of the overstressed rifle and the cables feeding it the energy of Japan were glowing an angry red.  All Shinji needed was a little time before he could finish the job, but time seemed to be the one thing that he didn't have much of.  Long seconds passed in tense silence as everyone waited impatiently for something to happen.  Unfortunately the angel had a much more efficient weapon and power supply then its human counterpart.

"Energy build up in the target!  It's preparing to fire again!" shouted Aoba.  

"Not yet!" begged Misato as she realised that it was still a good 30 seconds before the Positron Cannon would be ready for another shot.  Everyone watched on helplessly as the charge began to build and reach critical mass.

"Rei, protect Shinji" she ordered in frustration.  Though her plan only had less than a 9% chance of success, she still expected Shinji to be able to pull it off; after all, he had done more amazing things in his previous two battles.  Now everything was going horribly wrong and there wasn't anything she could do about it.  

* * * * *

Inside the entry plug of Unit 00 Rei watched the exchange in silence.  She was slightly disturbed by Shinji's inability to destroy the target with his first shot and realised he might not be able to make a second in time.  Her standing orders were to protect Unit 01 and she knew what she would have to do.  Misato's voice crackled over the communications line and ordered her to interpose herself between the two combatants.  She willed her Eva to move...but nothing happened.

A small frown appeared on her face as she more forcefully willed the giant orange beast to move but again to no avail.

"Rei!  What are you doing?  Move it now!" screamed an irate Captain Katsuragi as the energy build up from the angel was almost at its peak.  But Unit 00 remained motionless.  

"I...I can not..." whispered Rei in confusion as Unit 00 still refused to bend to her will.  Suddenly a voice screamed in her mind, a voice that was not her own.

_I won't let you interfere!  His fate is sealed!_  Rei winced at the pure hatred that emanated from the words.  The voice sounded strangely familiar and yet she could not place where she had heard it before.  She didn't have long to consider the matter before she felt an intense pain pounding through her head.  She screamed and grabbed her head with her hands in a futile attempt to subdue the agony.  Her efforts were in vain.

It felt as if her skull was being crushed by Unit 00s armored fist and one thought forced its way though the haze of pain.  _Shinji Ikari must die!  The thought continued to echo through her mind as if it were the only thing she were allowed to hear.  She knew the thought was not her own but she couldn't push it aside.  Vaguely she heard voices over the Eva's communications system but she couldn't make out what they were saying. _

"Her synchro graph is going crazy!  Pulses are flowing backwards! I'm reading mental contamination in the pilot!" Maya screamed hysterically.  

"That's impossible!" yelled an equally hysteric Ritsuko.  The mood in the command centre shifted from worry over Unit 01s miss to stark fear over Rei's sudden problems.  No one knew precisely what to make of the recent turn of events and if Ritsuko was worried then everyone else would follow suit.  

"But the angel hasn't targeted Unit 00..." whispered Misato.  Rei continued to scream over the comm. 

"Get her out of there.  Eject the entry plug."

"It's no use!  The signal's not being received!" wailed Maya in abject terror.

"It's WHAT?!?"

"Misato what's happening to Ayanami?  Is she o.k.?" questioned a very concerned Shinji.

"Shinji get out of there! Abort the mission!" she screamed in reply

Before Shinji could react the angel's particle beam was unleashed once again at Unit 01 and this time there was no interfering beam to change its trajectory.  The beam arced towards Unit 01 at hyper velocity and hammered into an orange octagonal field which appeared before the prone EVA.  

"Unit 01s AT Field is active!" yelled Maya.  "I don't believe it; I've never seen an AT Field this strong before!  It's stronger then the angels!" she reported in confusion.  Ritsuko looked over her shoulder equally as shocked as Maya.

"That's not possible..." she trailed off as Shinji and Unit 01 achieved that which she didn't think possible yet again.

Shinji sat in shock at witnessing the AT field spring to life and stop the beam.  He was sure that he didn't will the field into existence and watched with morbid fascination as the phenomenal energy of the angel's attack continued to smash against it.

Rei's continued screaming over the communications link snapped him out of his reverie and he looked at the window showing Rei clutching her head in agony.  He felt a stab of pain in his chest as he saw the agony she was in and tears threatened to spill from his eyes.  Her EVA was standing out in the open and would no doubt become a target for the angel if he ducked for cover.  Shinji was wracked with indecision.  Misato ordered him to retreat but he knew that if he did then Rei would be attacked and most likely killed by the angel.  If he stayed he might be able to fire off another shot and kill the angel thus saving the blue haired pilot of Unit 00.  Last time he disobeyed orders he was chewed out by Misato and had almost left.  

Then he remembered when he had been confronted by his father in front of Unit 01 and said that he wouldn't pilot.  Rei was brought in and despite her grievous wounds his father was going to make her pilot.  He made the decision to pilot Unit 01 to protect Rei then and if he didn't protect her now then what was the point?  He set his jaw and made his decision, he didn't abandon her then and he wouldn't do it now.  He wasn't sure what he felt for the enigmatic pilot of Unit 00 but he knew that he could never abandon her whilst he had the ability to do something to help.

He focused all his energy on maintaining the AT field whilst he prepared the rifle for another shot.  He could feel his field weakening and hoped against hope that it would last until he could destroy the angel.  

"Shinji!  I said abort!  Get the hell out of there now, that's an order!"

"I can't leave Ayanami out there" he replied through clenched teeth as he struggled to maintain his field.  His targeting computer informed him that he had 10 seconds before the weapon was cool enough to fire again.  Misato continued to scream at him but he simply ignored her and yanked back on the lever that would replace the fuses.  He had a mere three seconds to go before his field failed and he was once again blasted by the particle beam, this time in the head.  

If the last time he was hit by the beam could be described as agony, then there wasn't any mere word that could describe the level of pain he felt this time.  This was exponentially worse than the attack by the third angel which smashed through Unit 01s skull and worse even then when Unit 01 had its chest shredded earlier that day.  Being exposed to that much pain he did the only thing that he could do.  He screamed.

* * * * *

Rei's mind was bombarded with thoughts of hatred and fury all of which were directed at Shinji.  She didn't know where the thoughts originated from or why they directed so much hatred at Shinji, but they repeated themselves none the less.  She found it almost impossible to have any coherent thought amongst all the foreign noise, the only thought she recognized as her own was an almost inaudible one contrary to the others; _I must protect Ikari_. 

She focused all her effort and mental discipline on her one true thought.  The other thoughts eventually began to fade and the pain also began to abate.  She vaguely heard Shinji's voice over the EVA's comm wondering if she was o.k.  The concern in his voice struck something deep inside Rei, she had never heard anyone sound so concerned for her safety before.  A warm feeling began to spread throughout her body at that thought.  She wasn't sure exactly what she was feeling but it was...pleasant.

_Shinji Ikari can make me feel this way?  No!  Shinji Ikari must die!!_  Rei tried with all her might to block out the intruding voice and instead focused on what she was feeling, and the boy who made her feel this way.  She looked back on her memories of Ikari.  Shinji holding her during the attack of the 3rd angel, Shinji visiting her in hospital, Shinji staring at her during class, Shinji shyly smiling at her...  These and other memories of Shinji replaced the sadistic scream of the unwelcome intruding thoughts.

Sensing that they were loosing the invading thoughts redoubled their efforts and the pain increased.  Rei screamed again as this time images were forced into her mind to accompany the insane screaming.  Shinji saying he didn't trust the commander, Shinji refusing to pilot, Shinji getting beaten up by Touji, Shinji screaming in pain.  The last thought stirred a new emotion in Rei; anger.

Focusing on her previous images she was able to suppress the unwanted images and return a semblance of sanity to her mind.  _I don't like to see Ikari in pain.  I have to protect him.  What are these feelings he has stirred in me?_

_No!  He must die! _ The voice tormented again.  Rei was once again trying to force the thoughts away when she heard the most horrible sound she ever had the displeasure of hearing.  A scream, not just a scream, but Ikari's scream of agony.  Yet another new emotion swept through Rei, concern.

_ I must protect Ikari _she thought.  _Ikari must die! came the savage reply._  I must protect Ikari s_he thought more forcefully_.  Ikari must die! _Was the reply.  Realising that she had to break the stalemate Rei then did something she had never done before; she gave in to her emotions.  She felt a violent pressure in her chest as the unfamiliar emotions forced themselves to the fore.  _

"I MUST PROTECT IKARI!" She screamed and banished the voice from her mind.

* * * * *

Everyone in the command centre cringed when they heard Shinji's scream.  No one knew exactly what to do as the angel had just penetrated the Geofront and Unit 01 was the only thing that could kill it.  Everything seemed lost.  Then another scream reverberated over the communications link, this time not of pain but of desperation.

"I MUST PROTECT IKARI!"  Echoed the abnormally loud voice of Rei Ayanami.  Everyone's jaw dropped at hearing the normally silent girl yell, and with such emotion.

"Rei's synchro graph is stabilising!  Nerve connections restored!  Unit 00 is back under control!" Maya shouted ecstatically once the shock of the blue haired girl's outburst abated.  As if to confirm this statement, Unit 00s cyclopean eye flashed a bright white and it took off at a sprint towards Unit 01.  

Reaching the besieged EVA quickly, she interposed herself in between the angel and Unit 01, holding the makeshift shield in front of her.  The initial impact almost knocked her Eva off its feet but she steadied herself and stood resolutely in between the two combatants.  She was told that she'd have 17 seconds of protection from the shield, but she would stay until she was killed in order to protect Ikari.

* * * * *

The pain in Shinji's head lost its intensity and he finally drew in a ragged breath of the uncomfortably hot LCL.  He took a moment to reorient and compose himself before trying to decipher the strange noises that were echoing through the entry plug.  He soon realised that they were voices and once his vision began to clear he saw a fuzzy outline that resembled Unit 00 standing directly in front of him.  

"Ayanami?" he groaned groggily, barely recognizing his own voice hoarse as it was from screaming.

"Ikari.  You must destroy the angel.  I will protect you."  Shinji could have sworn that he heard emotion in Rei's voice, but quickly decided it must be due to his current state.  

"Hurry Shinji!  The shield can't take much more!" informed Misato.

Shinji's hazy mind barely registered Misato's words, but a memory of the pain he so recently endured focused his mind back to the task he was given.  Drawing shallow breathes of the searing LCL he tried to focus his watering eyes on the targeting system.  Everything was blurry though and he couldn't even see the targeting reticule.

"I can't focus..." he whispered in his hoarse voice.  He felt a crushing pressure in his chest as he realised that he couldn't make the shot.  Not matter how hard he tried to focus his vision failed to clear sufficiently to make the pinpoint shot.  He was going to fail and let everyone down.  

"I'm useless..." he choked as tears ran freely from his bloodshot eyes and were quickly absorbed in the LCL.  Thoughts of failure and uselessness bombarded the distraught pilot as every time he had ever failed flashed before him in rapid succession.  He began to shake with his sobbing as he knew that he was the only one who could save everyone and yet he was too weak.  Again the image of holding Rei in front of Unit 01 and saving her appeared.  Then his short battle with the 4th angel from which he emerged victorious.  The only times he had ever succeeded had been with Unit 01.  He felt a soft caress as a gentle voice spoke through his mind.

_You can do this, you are not useless.  Together we can not be defeated._  Shinji, not being of a clear enough state of mind to comprehend the exact meaning behind the words or where the words originated from took strength from them and the warm feeling he was experiencing.  

_I can't fail them, I can't let them down_ he spoke to himself, over and over, softly at first before the chant echoed in a rising crescendo.  Forcing himself to focus on the targeting computer he was relieved to find his vision slowly clear until he could finally see the target and the crosshairs.  Pain flared through his head as he forced himself to focus harder then he had ever done before but he pushed through the pain this time.  The computer beeped its firing solution scant seconds after Rei's shield failed and Unit 00 felt the full fury of the 5th angel's attack.

* * * * *

Rei gasped as her EVA was hammered in the chest and its armor buckled and melted under the intense energy.  The force of the blast knocked her back a step but despite the pain she kept her EVA on its feet and remained in the path of the beam.  Whilst Unit 01 could endure several seconds of the concentrated blast, Unit 00s armor was far less effective and offered only a token resistance to the beam.  Thankfully, it didn't have to endure the savage beam for long as Unit 01 finally discharged its rifle.

This time the pulse of concentrated energy shot true and sliced straight through the angel's AT field before burrowing through its armored side and gutting it completely.  Such was the power of the beam that it passed straight through the floating behemoth and lanced out of the other side disappearing into the horizon.  With the angels death the powerful drill stopped descending and the massive body of the angel finally succumbed to the laws of physics and crashed heavily into the ground, leveling several buildings under its enormous bulk.

Unit 00 finally collapsed once the pressure of the particle weapon stopped hammering against its chest.  _I protected Ikari  Rei_ thought with a hint of a smile on her face.  She was confused by the recent events which had almost cost the third child his life and she was still uncertain of what she actually felt at the time.  The recently embraced emotions seemed like a distant memory to her and she couldn't revive the feelings she had experienced.  Who was this boy that could make her feel this way and act like she had never done before?  This was something she would have to give great consideration to.

_This isn't over, Ikari's days are numbered and I shall be here to witness his death!_  The thought made Rei shiver and the almost imperceptible smile she wore before changed into her normal neutral expression.  She didn't have long to worry before everything went black around her as she embraced the darkness.

* * * * *

_I did it.  I killed the angel and saved them.  I can't ever let them down_ thought an exhausted Shinji Ikari as confirmation of the shot was made.  His joy was short lived however as he looked over at the hulking form of Unit 00 and a small cry escaped his lips as he saw it sprawled face down in front of him.

"Rei" he uttered her name almost silently.  The tears returned to his eyes as he realised that he was too late to save her.  Unconsciousness came to claim him then, but a voice made itself heard before he was enveloped by the darkness.

"Fear not my dear; she is alive because of you.  You protected her, just as we protected you."   Shinji relaxed at the kindness of the words and all his worries faded away.  Had his mind not been so foggy he might have recognised the voice, but as it was he could only embrace the love that carried with the words and drift off to the peace of unconsciousness. 

* * * * *

"The target has gone silent" breathed Hyuga in relief.  Everyone released the breath they were holding and the atmosphere of the command centre lightened to a post battle calm.

"How are the pilots?" demanded Misato as both Eva's went silent.  

"They're both unconscious, but they're alive and stable" stated an emotionally drained Maya.  Everyone sighed in relief at this latest batch of good news.

"Eject the entry plugs and have medical crews dispatched immediately!" Misato all but yelled; the relief was short lived as her responsibilities reasserted themselves in her mind.  Whilst everyone else in the mobile command centre relaxed and joked amongst each other, Misato couldn't relax.  This was far too close for comfort and for the second time in as many battles Shinji had disobeyed her direct order.  

She didn't know what to do with him.  Last time he ran away after she confronted him, would he do so again?  Would he come back this time?  Would he do something even more drastic?  A whirlwind of possibilities thrashed through her already overburdened mind and she decided to forget about it for now.  After all, she still had to supervise the cleanup operation and she could think about how she would confront Shinji later.

"Mind explaining to me what the hell happened out there Ritsuko?" she asked as she turned to gaze at her friend.  Ritsuko stared levelly into her eyes and didn't reply for several seconds.

"I don't know" was her final quiet response.

"Bullshit!  First Rei couldn't move Unit 00 and her mind was attacked by something, then she screams out and regains control in time to save Shinji.  And then there's the fact that Unit 01 raised an AT field stronger than was even thought possible.  That's a very strange series of events and I want some answers damn it!" screamed an incensed Misato and as everyone knew, an incensed Misato is not someone to further antagonize.

"I can't give you the answers because what just happened today shouldn't have been able to happen.  You can scream at me all you like but I can't give you what you want" calmly replied the blonde scientist.  Misato gave her a vicious glare that would have sent a lesser person cowering in terror but Ritsuko held her gaze for a second before returning her attention to Maya's terminal.

_There's so much going on that I don't know about.  What the hell are the EVA's and how is it that things like this can happen? _ Misato's mind again ticked over madly trying to figure out answers for questions that she had insufficient information for.  After several moments her head started to ache and she stormed out of the command centre and headed over to the medical crew attending to Shinji.

* * * * *

Images appeared in Shinji's mind.  Not the usual painful ones that plagued his sleep but warm, peaceful ones which always seemed to flee from his grasp.  All the happy moments of his life seemed to flash before him (not that there were that many) and he took in every detail of every one of them that he could.  

He recalled his recent memories of becoming friends with Touji and Kensuke and all the fun that they had together.  The times that they joked around, the times that they went down to the arcade and even just being in school and enjoying each others company.  His memories of living with Misato, how she was always lightheartedly teasing him but at the same time looking out for his well being.  She was the first person whom he felt genuinely cared about him.  He saw when he first started taking cello lessons and how his teacher praised his natural ability to get the most out of the instrument.

Several more memories made themselves known to him and he embraced them all.  One final memory revealed itself to him before he started to awaken; it was of a voice, a serene and beautiful voice which he couldn't put a face to.  It spoke the most soothing words he had ever heard.

"You can do this, you are not useless.  Together we can not be defeated.  Fear not my dear; she is alive because of you.  You protected her, just as we protected you."  Images of his latest battle then played through his mind but they were not painful ones.  He let the images play out and he knew that he had done the right thing.  Everyone was safe because of him.  With these final thoughts and the soothing words fading away he slowly opened his eyes.

The first thing he noticed was how bright the room was.  Blinking rapidly, he tried not to focus his eyes on anything until the brightness lessoned considerably.  His eyes soon adapted to the harsh glare of the fluorescent lights above his bed and he could make out the patterns on the roof.  

"A painfully familiar ceiling" he mumbled to himself with a slight chuckle.  Sensing movement off to his left side he slowly turned his head and beheld a figure sitting next to him watching him intently.  Recognition hit him instantly and he smiled warmly.

"Hey Misato.  Been there long?" he asked whilst maintaining his smile.  Misato opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out.  She just sat in mute shock at the warm and cheerful mood that Shinji was in.  Normally when he awoke from such on ordeal he was distressed and often depressed, never before had she seen such an honest smile from him.  Completely lost for words she just closed her mouth and stared at him for the next few seconds.  

"Don't worry Misato, I'm fine, really" he assured her.  Finally recovering from the shock that had paralysed her tongue, she managed to reply.

"I can see that.  Care to enlighten me as to why you're in such a good mood?"

"We won.  The angel was defeated and everyone's o.k."  He replied without hesitation.

"Don't you want to know how Rei is?" she asked tentatively.

"Ayanami's fine.  I imagine she's already out of hospital and home by now."  Misato blinked several times at him in surprise.  He'd been unconscious for the past 7 hours and Rei had left less than an hour before.  She hadn't stopped by his room and he hadn't even been conscious to realise that anyone was here anyway.

"Yeah, she left about an hour ago.  How did you know?"  Misato asked after long seconds in shock.

"I just knew" he replied cryptically.

"I see...Is this the reason for your good mood?"

"Yes."  Another long silence ensured as Misato tried to comprehend why Shinji was acting like this.  She studied him carefully but as far as she could tell he wasn't lying to her.  Shinji blushed and averted his gaze under her intense scrutiny.  That was all she needed to confirm that this was in fact her Shinji.  Still no closer to finding her answers she decided to grill him later until he finally confessed everything.  There were more important matters to deal with at the moment though she was not looking forward to dealing with them.

"Shinji..." she hesitantly began not wanting to spoil his rare good mood with what she had to tell him.  "The Commander wants to see you in his office as soon as you are up and about."  His smile instantly evaporated and was replaced by a frown of concern.

"Why does he want to see me?"  Misato struggled to find an easy way to tell him but couldn't figure out how to do so, so she just decided to tell him up front.

"It's because you disobeyed my orders again and almost lost Unit 01." 

"What?!  If I hadn't stayed there then Ayanami would have been attacked and killed!" he blurted out in shock whilst his face contorted in anger.

"That may well be, but you almost got all of us killed.  I don't make suggestions in my job, I give _orders_, and orders are to be obeyed to the letter without question.  You're not experienced enough to make snap battlefield judgments, that's my job."  Her tone was soft but forceful and each word struck Shinji like a physical attack.  He flinched from her words and started shaking his head.

"I couldn't leave her Misato, I can't abandon my friends.  You told me that I have to face my fears and not to run away, and now when I stand my ground you tell me that it was wrong.  You're telling me that it was wrong to save the life of my friend!" he all but yelled at her.

"Don't quote me out of context Shinji.  When you are ordered to fall back then that's what you do.  I am glad that you saved Rei's life, but this is the last time I'm going to say this.  I am your commanding officer and you will obey my orders on the field of battle.  Do you understand?"  Her expression and authoritive tone of voice left no room for argument.  Shinji just sighed and mumbled a 'yes ma'am' whilst he lowered his head unable to meet her commanding gaze.

"You should get dressed, the Commander is waiting" she said in a lighter tone.  Shinji grudgingly nodded in agreement and made to sit up before remembering the last time he had been in a position like this and granted Rei a view the likes of which he wouldn't want to share again.  He blushed at the thought before asking Misato about his clothes.

"Oh they're over here" she said before rising and retrieving them for him.  "I'll just be waiting outside for you" and with that she retreated from the room to wait for him.  

* * * * *

Ten minutes later Shinji entered the dark and foreboding office of the most powerful man in the world, his father.  This was the first time he had set foot in the office and he instantly felt uncomfortable.  The ludicrous size of the room combined with the low lighting and the imposing figure at the other end made Shinji want to run far, far away.  He suppressed a shudder as he slowly made his way across the gargantuan office and stopped a good ten meters from the desk.  

"I have brought Pilot Ikari as ordered sir" informed Misato in a stiff, respectful voice.

"I can see that Captain."  He paused as he looked at Shinji.  "Do you know why you are here?"  

Shinji's right hand unconsciously clenched and unclenched as his father glared openly at him waiting for a response.

"Because of my actions during the battle" he replied in a soft whisper.  He barely managed to keep a tremble and stutter out of his voice as summed up his reason for the 'visit'.

"Correct.  You were given a direct order and you disobeyed.  Again.  I do not tolerate insubordination and your continued disregard for your superiors is a very dangerous habit.  What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I...I couldn't leave Ayanami to die."

"Irrelevant.  If you are given an order then you are to obey it to the letter.  You do not think of the consequences and you do not question the judgment of the person who gives the order.  You do what you are told when you are told to.  I will not tolerate any more of your incompetence."

Shinji looked down at his feet in defeat.  He was terrified of his father and being berated by him was the worst thing in the world for him, for he desperately wanted his father to take notice of him, to praise him.  Though he wouldn't admit it to anyone he longed for even a single kind word from his estranged father.  Once again all he gets is ridicule.

"Since you obviously haven't learnt your lesson a harsher punishment will be required.  You are to be confined to a cell for the next three days.  After this time you will resume your duties as the pilot of Unit 01."

"You can't be serious!" hissed a stunned Misato.  "He's just a kid; you can't lock him up in a cell!"

"Unless you wish to be similarly confined I suggest you learn the value of silence, _Captain_."  Misato glared daggers at Ikari but he was far from intimidated.  He pushed a button on his desk and two burly section two agents strode into the room and stood on opposite sides of Shinji.

"Remove him" he ordered simply and Shinji was led from the room.  Misato followed quickly after, her body tensed with barely suppressed rage. A door slid silently open from the back of the chamber once the four bodies departed and a tall figure strode over to stand behind Gendo.

"That was a little harsh don't you think?  Confining him to a cell?"

"He must learn the consequences of his actions.  I can not have a pilot who won't listen to orders for that will leave us open to unnecessary risks" Gendo retorted coldly.

"But he's your son Ikari.  Don't you even care a little?" he asked desperately.

"He is merely a tool.  All that matters is the scenario" and with that sub-Commander Fuyutsuki shook his head and left the room.

* * * * *

Across in the old part of Tokyo III stood an all but abandoned apartment block.  The building was large and nondescript with drab grey walls and was in a state of disrepair.  The sounds of heavy construction work echoed loudly across the empty expanse as workers continued their never ending battle to keep the fortress city in top condition.  The constant racket would be enough to drive anyone insane, anyone that is, except for Rei Ayanami.  She lay on her stomach facing the head of her bed with her legs suspended in the air behind her and her arms crossed under her chin.  Whilst she maintained a calm exterior her mind was in turmoil, or what could be considered turmoil for the calm and collected girl.  Her recent experiences in the battle against the fifth angel and the third child both weighed heavily upon her mind.

Rei was used to painful experiences with Unit 00, after all she had almost been killed during the first activation experiment and spent a couple of months recovering from her injuries, but this was different.  The reactivation test was a success and she had no difficulty at all in maneuvering the massive war machine up to the mountain, nor moving it into position for the battle.  It was only when she attempted to protect Shinji that she had found herself incapable of operating the EVA.  The voice that screamed for Shinji's death was dripping with pure, unrestrained hatred and coincided with the intense pain she experienced.  Rei thought that she recognised the voice but couldn't be sure as the agony she was feeling pretty much blocked out everything.  Where did the voice come from?  Why did it sound vaguely familiar?  Why did it hate Shinji?  Rei lay still for long minutes trying to figure out the answer to these questions but the answers continued to elude her.  Making no progress she decided to consider the other dilemma which weighed heavily upon her.  The dilemma of the third child, Shinji Ikari.

She often found her thoughts drifting to the shy third child though she wasn't sure exactly why she couldn't get him out of her mind.  No one except for the Commander had ever been worthy of her attention before and yet here was this boy whom she had only met a couple of months ago and yet he had somehow attained a permanent place in her conscience.  He was Commander Ikari's son and yet he was nothing like the Commander.  He was a shy, gentle and kind person who would bow to another's will rather than hurt them.  How he could be so different from his father was perplexing for Rei.  She had known the Commander for as long as she could remember and she felt a bond with him.  Not intimate like a father and daughter but more personal than Commander and subordinate.  She also felt a bond with his son Shinji as well, but that bond was a lot harder for Rei to define.  Shinji was one of the few people who genuinely tried to talk to Rei and seemed to enjoy her company.  Ever since she started attending school in the seventh grade people had avoided her and branded her such names as 'freak' or 'ice queen.'  Whilst she didn't care in the slightest what those people thought of her she found that she did care what Shinji thought of her.

So what was so special about him?  True he was kind to her but that in itself wasn't enough to make her feel this way.  Perhaps it was because he had risked his life for her twice out of genuine concern for her well being?  The first time when the Commander was going to make her pilot Unit 01 despite her injuries and the second time the day before in their battle with the fifth angel.  She learned after the battle that he had disobeyed a direct order to retreat because that would have left her at the mercy of the angel.  He jeopardised his own life as well as the rest of humanity just to save her.  How could someone risk everything for one person?  Didn't he know she was replaceable?  Isn't the safety of mankind more important than one life?  He seemed to genuinely care for her though he gave no reason and he asked for nothing in return.  He had sounded so concerned when she couldn't move her EVA and was in such pain.  His concern touched the emotionally inept girl, no one had sounded so worried about her life before, no one had even cared if she lived or died.  She was replaceable after all…

Then there was the matter of the feelings she experienced during the battle.  Rei had never been angry before, not even when she slapped Shinji for expressing his distrust of the Commander.  Yet when the voice spoke of its desire to kill him she felt what she could only imagine anger must feel like.  She wanted to silence the voice, find its owner and destroy them.  Such violent tendencies were foreign to Rei and she was mildly concerned by the experience.  Whilst she couldn't remember exactly how it felt she knew that she enjoyed it to a degree.  The other feeling she had was of concern.  She had never felt concern for another being in her life.  Not even when Touji punched Shinji did she feel any concern for him.  So why all of a sudden did she get that feeling?  Was it his scream of pain?  Yes, that must be it; she didn't like to hear Ikari in pain.  It was at that moment that she let down her guard and let her previously unknown emotions take control of her.  Her concern for Shinji was so strong that she acted in a way she had not even comprehended before.  Rei had never experienced an emotion as such before that moment as the Commander had always taught her that emotions were for the weak, but she knew that it was by embracing these emotions that allowed her to regain control of Unit 00 and protect Shinji.  Had the commander lied to her?  She didn't want to dwell on that possibility, as the Commander was the one who gave her a purpose.  Should that purpose be taken away her existence would be redundant.

Despite all her pondering she was only marginally closer to resolving her current conflict.  Since she didn't have much experience with emotions she was going to have to seek another's guidance to understand more fully what she felt.  She knew one thing though.  She knew that she cared for Ikari, though she didn't know the extent of that care.  She made up her mind then and there to seek out someone to assist her.

She couldn't ask the Commander because he would not approve of her new state of mind; similarly Dr Akagi was not a valid choice because she would report her to the Commander which would be worse then if she asked the Commander herself.  She could ask Captain Katsuragi as the outspoken woman seemed to be quite in touch with her emotions but Rei hadn't had much to do with the Operations Director before.  That left one person.  She would have to ask Shinji himself.  Rei had wanted to speak to him after the battle but decided not to visit him in hospital until she had attempted to resolve some of her concerns.  She now felt ready to face him.

With her newly found resolve she moved off the bed and strode purposely out of the door letting it gently shut behind her as she made her way on foot to the Geofront.

* * * * *

Misato stalked the endless halls of Central Dogma on her way to her office with an expression of fury firmly planted on her face and an aura of imminent death for those who got in her way.  Every muscle was tensed and her eyes blazed with barely contained rage at the injustice which was just committed.  People quickly averted their gaze from the volatile woman and some even went out of their way to completely avoid her knowing that it would be hazardous to their health to interrupt her.

Finally reaching her small office she kicked the door open before violently slamming it shut with all her strength, almost tearing it off its hinges.  A resounding clang echoed through the corridors of the subterranean structure and everyone nearby understood the message clearly.  _Disturb me at risk of grievous bodily harm!_  Not satisfied with the action she then set about kicking the walls repeatedly trying her best to break through the grey metal, though without much success, before pounding her fists into the desk until they were bloody from the repeated impacts.  Finally a scream of frustration escaped her mouth and she collapsed onto the floor with her head bowed and her bloody hands in her lap.

She was trembling with rage and despite the recent violent release she doubted anything short of wrapping her hands around Gendo's throat would alleviate the feeling.  How he could so coldly confine his only son to a cell for disobeying an order so that he could save a fellow pilot was beyond her.  Sure he needed to be disciplined but that was just too far, he's only 14 after all...  A soft noise was heard from across the room as the door cracked open and a face cautiously peeked around the corner.

Seeing Misato sitting on the floor against the desk with bloodied hands Ritsuko quickly entered the room, closing the door behind her, before going to her friends' side.

"Are you o.k.?" she asked softly knowing how violent the woman could get.

"What the hell kind of question is that?" she snapped venomously.  "He imprisoned Shinji for three days, _three_ _days for saving Rei's life!  Shinji, the kindest and gentlest person in this God forsaken world has been locked up for saving humanity just because he didn't do it exactly as the Commander planned!  What kind of sadistic bastard could do that to a 14 year old, especially his own son?!" she broke down in tears as her rage was replaced with guilt and uselessness._

Sensing that now was not the time for jokes or arguing Ritsuko gently lay a hand on Misato's shoulder and quietly spoke words of agreement and encouragement.  After several minutes like that Misato finally got her emotions under control and looked into her friends eyes.  She was surprised to find genuine concern behind the normally cold eyes and made a note to remember this moment.

"Thanks Ritsu.  I didn't think that you'd be the one to try and comfort me."

"You know I don't have many friends Misato.  You and Maya are about the only true friends I have; it's the least I can do for you.  And besides, you think anyone else would risk death by coming here when you are in a violent mood?" she finished with a small smile.

"You never cease to amaze me Ritsu" she said with her own slight smile.  She wiped at her eyes and was surprised when she saw the blood dripping from her abused knuckles.

"Here, you should come down to the infirmary and I'll patch you up."

"I'll be fine; I just need some time to think.  It's only a couple of scratches."

Ritsuko frowned at her but knew that there was no way she was going to change her mind and the thought of dragging her down there in her current state was ludicrous.  She decided that it would be best to leave her to her own devices.

"Fine, if you need to talk don't hesitate to seek me out" she said as she rose to her feet.

"Yeah I know, thanks a lot.  We'll talk later."  The blonde scientist took that as her cue to leave and made her way to the door opening and closing it gently before heading off to bury herself in her work like she always did when she didn't want to think about something.

Long minutes passed in silence as Misato collected her thoughts and repressed any further fits of violence.  She didn't make any attempt to move and it was all she could do not to break down into tears again.  She really cared for Shinji.  Though she had only known him for a couple of months she felt like they were old friends.  No, it felt like they were family, he is the younger brother that she never had and as such she felt terrible that she couldn't help him.

He didn't deserve this cruel fate that had befallen him.   _He is so innocent and caring so why is it that he had to be punished so severely?_  At least she was allowed to visit him and vowed to spend every allowed minute with him.  With that decided she finally found the strength to rise to her feet and continue with the days work.  That was until she noticed the mountain of paperwork that was waiting for her.  She was so caught up in her anger that she hadn't seen it when she entered and even when she had attacked the desk it still didn't register that it was there.  With a sigh she sat down and attempted to cull the first pile.

After 10 minutes of staring she found that she couldn't concentrate on the paper and gave up leaning back in her chair and staring at the ceiling.  She had no idea how long she maintained the state before a gentle knocking on the door interrupted her trance.  Recovering quickly she composed herself and invited the unknown person in.  Misato failed to hide her surprise as the visitor was none other than Rei Ayanami.

"Rei?" she asked, confusion and surprise evident in her voice.

"Captain Katsuragi" was the curt greeting in the girl's omnipresent monotone accompanied by a slight bow of the head out of respect for her superior.  Several moments of silence ensured as Misato just stared in wonder at the blue haired girl and Rei waited for her superior to initiate a conversation.  Eventually realising that she wasn't going to say anything without being prompted Misato asked the first thing on her mind.

"What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see pilot Ikari but the medical staff said he was released and that you would know of his whereabouts."  Misato lowered her gaze at the mention of Shinji but her surprise at the girl's statement overrode any immediate grief that attempted to arise.  Rei had hardly spoken two words to Misato before, and here she was speaking a full sentence and even going so far as wishing to see Shinji.  _Today has been a strange day indeed..._she thought absently. 

"I'm afraid that Shinji is unavailable at the moment" she stated simply without elaborating.  Long seconds passed as Rei stared intently into Misato's eyes, causing the older woman to squirm.  Dissatisfied with the answer she decided it would not be improper to probe further.

"Is he not well enough to converse?  If he was fit to be discharged from the medical ward then I would assume that he could maintain a short conversation."

"It's not that, it's just he's..." she trailed off unable to finish the sentence as tears threatened to escape from her puffy, bloodshot eyes.  Rei stood and waited patiently for Misato to compose herself.  Her eyes never wavered nor did her expression change as Misato took a couple of minutes to reign in her emotions.

"I'm sorry...  Shinji has been...confined to a cell for the next three days."  Much to Misato's surprise, a small frown was etched on the first child's face as she processed this unexpected information.  Rei knew about what happened after the battle with the 4th angel and she also knew that the Commander did not tolerate people disobeying orders, but she did not think that he would go so far as to imprison the third child.  

"Is he allowed visitors?"

"Yes, though only for a short period of time."

"I see.  I shall go visit Ikari then."

"Uh I don't think that pilots have clearance to the prison Rei, I'm sorry.  If you wait until my shift is over you can visit him with me."

"That will not be necessary.  I have sufficient clearance to visit the prison block."

"You do?" asked a stunned Misato.  _Why would Rei have a higher clearance then Shinji?  She's just a pilot isn't she?_

"Yes" she answered simply.  Hearing no reply from Misato Rei bid her goodbye and turned and silently left the room to proceed to her new destination.  Misato stared at the door for a long time after Rei left.  Things were getting stranger by the minute and she was being left out of the loop.  She still had 2 hours before she could get off work so she decided that she had to get something done.  She would see Shinji soon enough and at least he would have some company until she got there, even if it was only Rei.  Forcing her worries aside she finally managed to concentrate enough to attack the accumulated papers that were waiting for her.  

* * * * *

"Unfamiliar ceiling" was the first thing Shinji said as he lay on the uncomfortable bed in his cell.  The cell was quite small and dimly lit with no window, only the metal barred door which faced an identical cell opposite from his.  As far as he was aware he was the only resident of this cell block and he found that a small consolation.

He never thought that he would end up here.  He knew that something would be said for his actions in the previous battle but he thought that since he had saved everyone and both EVAs were still functional, if badly damaged, that they would simply reprimand him.  He'd been alone his whole life before now, but he found that this type of isolation to be quite uncomfortable.  He longed to hear someone's voice, to have some company, but even the guards kept their distance and no one had come to visit him yet.

The worst part about this whole situation was that he didn't have his S-DAT.  Without the soothing tones of music that the compact player provided he found his thoughts wondering over all the bad things that had happened in his short but miserable life.  No matter how hard he tried to think of something else, his mind always returned to the painful memories.  Just as he was about to scream out in frustration he heard footsteps echo down the narrow corridor.  Quickly rising to a sitting position on the small bed he waited for the presence to make itself known.

A guard slowly walked in front of his cell and stopped as he turned and looked at Shinji with an annoyed look on his face.

"You have a visitor" he growled in his deep guttural voice.  Apparently, his visitor had disturbed the guard whilst he was in the middle of something, though what a guard could be doing whilst on duty was beyond Shinji.  Such thoughts instantly disappeared and were replaced by shock as the second figure approached and stopped in front of his cell.

"Greetings pilot Ikari" was the soft greeting spoken by the visitor.

"Ayanami?" was all Shinji could manage as his shock at seeing the young pilot visiting him here muddled his thought processes.  The guard unlocked the cell and let Rei in before locking it again behind her.

"You have half an hour, if you want to leave before then just scream out" he said in his gravelly voice before disappearing down the hallway to his post.  Shinji sat in mute silence whilst Rei stood inside the cell and they both just stared at each other.  Neither knew how long this state remained before Shinji's confused mind finally processed the current situation.

"Wh-what are you doing here Ayanami?"

"I was informed that you were being confined here so I decided to come and visit you" she stated matter-of-factly.  Shinji blinked in surprise as she was one of the last people he'd have thought would want to come and visit him.

"Did...did Misato order you to come here?"

"No, I am here of my own volition.  I wish to ask you something pilot Ikari."

"Uh...sure...Ayanami.  Wh-why don't you uh...sit down?" he asked shyly whilst sliding over so that there was room next to him on the bed.

"As you wish" she replied and gracefully closed the distance before sitting gently on the bed beside Shinji.  He waited patiently for her to proceed but she just stared off straight ahead with a blank expression on her face.

"Uh...Ayanami?  You...you wanted to ask me something?" he ventured hesitantly.  Silence was his only reply.  He was about to ask if she was o.k. when she suddenly turned and looked straight at him, her crimson gaze boring into him.  He had been exposed to her intense stare before but he didn't feel uncomfortable this time, in fact he noticed something slightly different.  Very few people would have picked up on it but she seemed to be confused by something, or so he thought.  Her jaw was slightly tightened and her eyebrows lowered fractionally but it was in her eyes that he really noticed the confusion.  Her normally stoic gaze was absent and her eyes seemed to be trying to find the answer to her unasked question in his own.  She stared for several long moments before finally speaking in her quiet whisper.

"Why did you disobey a direct order to retreat from Captain Katsuragi in the fight against the fifth angel?"

"I...I couldn't leave.  If I retreated then it would have left you out there all alone.  I would have been leaving you there to die" he whispered the last sentence as if by voicing the thought it would somehow come true.

"But you risked the lives of everyone on the planet.  Are not the collective masses more important than one person?"  Shinji lowered his gaze and clenched his fists as he replied.

"No.  I've never had any friends before I moved here so I didn't know how important they would become for me.  I guess that's the reason I pilot, even though it only causes me pain.  I don't want to loose the few friends I have and I will do whatever it takes to protect them."  Rei noticed a hard glint in his eyes as he made his speech with a confidence that she had never before witnessed from the shy pilot.  To say she was surprised by this would be an understatement but Rei, being Rei, showed no reaction whatsoever.  

"Are you implying that I am your friend Ikari?" she asked with slight hesitancy.  Shinji looked up from the floor and gazed deeply into her eyes.

"Yes Ayanami...I am.  I...consider you to be a friend.  Do you not think of me the same?"

"I...I have never had a friend before..." she lowered her gaze at the admission but quickly raised it again when she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder.  Looking into Ikari's eyes once again she saw that soft unconditional care that she had never seen from anyone else, not even the Commander.  

"It would be an honor and a pleasure for me to be your first true friend."

"I...I would...like that" she whispered softly and lowered her head as a blush colored her smooth ivory cheeks.  Shinji smiled gently as he noticed her blush and was mildly surprised to feel his own face heat up at her reaction.  The awkward moment stretched into a contemplative silence as both pilots thought about the ramifications of their conversation.  Rei's soft voice was the first to break the silence.

"So that is why you did not retreat.  Was this also the reason you piloted Unit 01 against the third angel?"  

"I couldn't let father put you in Unit 01 when you were so badly wounded.  I knew that you wouldn't survive if you were piloting so I decided to make the attempt.  I guess I was protecting you, even then.  I don't like to see people suffer."

"So you would pilot for someone you didn't know because they were injured?"

"If it means that they don't have to suffer then...yes."

"Is this what one would call 'concern'?" she queried eagerly (though eagerly for Rei wasn't really much different than normal...)

"Yes, it is a form of concern.  To be worried about someone else and to be willing to do something to help them is genuine concern."  He studied her delicate face keenly and found to his surprise that her expression softened slightly.

"I see" was all she said as she averted her gaze and considered what it meant for her to feel this emotion for only this boy.  She cared for him, it was the only explanation but how much did she care?  She wanted desperately to find out, but a part of her wasn't so sure.  She had never felt so conflicted in her life and she was not happy with the contradiction, yet she knew that she wasn't ready to seek out the answer just yet.  That would come with time.

They spent most off the remainder of their time in companionable silence with Shinji attempting to start up some light conversation only to be defeated by Rei's lack of socialising skills.  Still, neither were uncomfortable in each others presence and the time quickly passed.  Before they knew it the guard arrived to escort Rei out of the cells and Shinji was once again left alone, although this time he had only pleasant thoughts as he continued to ponder this recent event.

To be continued…

**Author's notes:**          Well there it is the first chapter.  A few points of interest:  I know that Rei was OOC at the start of the chapter but it was necessary for the plot so I hope you all forgive me.  I hope I didn't take it too far but I guess that's up to each individual to judge.  I'll tell you all now that Gendo will be portrayed in a most malign way.  Whilst it is my belief that he really did care for Shinji as he confessed in EOE, it just won't work with my story so he is going to be the most cold hearted bastard that has ever walked the face of the earth.  Subtlety isn't really my strong point so I imagine that most of you can see where this story is going so I will try to make it as entertaining as possible and who knows...maybe I'll have a few surprises for you...    

The second chapter has already been written and so it should be published very soon and the third is well on its way to being complete, but after that I can't say how long it will be between chapters.  I am a notorious procrastinator, but when it comes to things I enjoy I am usually quite reliable.  Hopefully it won't be more than a month between chapters but only time will tell.  

Feel free to tell me what you think of my fic so far but remember that this is MY story and so I will be writing the way I wish.  I am however open to suggestions and if you have a brilliant idea I might find a way to incorporate it into the story because as I said before I haven't planned this out…

My email is Ezstarius@hotmail.com for those who wish to write me with their ideas or likes and dislikes of the story so far.  Since I have an abundance of free time I will most probably respond to each email (if I receive any…) quickly.


	2. Reactions

Author's prerant:          O.k. here's the second instalment of The Price of Victory.  As I said before this chapter was pretty much already completed so the only delay was in conscripting a friend of mine who has seen the series to pre read it for me.  And on a similar note a big thanks to Steve Vader for your valued input.

Thanks for the reviews you guys, I was really nervous about posting this fic but after hearing your positive feedback and constructive criticisms I feel much better about continuing on.  And so I shall.

**Chapter 2 – Reactions**

Three days after the battle with the fifth angel all is calm in Central Dogma.  The three 'bridge bunnies' as they are affectionately known are nearing the end of yet another boring shift and having already completed their designated tasks are waiting for their relief.  

Shigeru Aoba is sitting on the right hand seat leaning back with his eyes closed and a blissful expression on his face.  His fingers work tirelessly on his air guitar as he cuts into an awesome riff he heard the other day from one of his friends outside of NERV.  The song was Master of Puppets by Metallica, an old pre-second impact metal band whom were very popular at the time.  Aoba was oblivious to his surroundings as he imagined his moment of glory, playing wildly on his guitar in front of tens of thousands of adoring fans.  All was truly right with the world at that moment.

Makato Hyuga who occupied the centre chair of the command centre was leaning forward with an amused expression as he worked his way through the latest manga he bought on the way into work.  The comic sat open on his console and was the latest in a new giant robot series.  He chuckled to himself as he read through it wondering where people came up with this kind of thing.  Despite, or perhaps because of the fact that he worked with actual giant robots, he found this particular series to be rather far fetched, but entertaining nonetheless.  

Maya Ibuki who had finished all her assigned work for the day was not as content as her two compatriots to waste duty time.  She was busily typing away at her terminal at an astonishing speed which was second only to the master herself, Dr Ritsuko Akagi, her mentor and superior.  Maya was running various diagnostics on the MAGI and reviewing essential systems, verifying that everything was running efficiently.  Completing these additional tasks, she looked at her watch and found that they only had 5 minutes before they were to be relieved and so she sat back and closed her eyes to wait out the remaining minutes.

She found her thoughts drifting to the battle only three days before.  Not much had been said by anyone after the event, as it was the closest that they had come so far to dying.  The angel had actually managed to breach the defensive armour plating and penetrated into the Geofront itself.  Then there was the problem with Rei and Unit 00 of which no one, not even Dr Akagi had an answer for.  Similarly, Unit 01s anomalous AT Field wasn't understood either, though Commander Ikari was seen standing in front of Unit 01 after most of the techs had left and had his trademark smirk as if he alone knew the answers.

Her thoughts then turned to the pilots of the giant mecha.  Rei recovered quickly and had left without so much as a word to anyone, not that that was surprising.  Shinji recovered soon after Rei but had been summoned to the Commander's office after which he was incarcerated in the prison block for three days.  Everyone was in shock at the harshness of the punishment and plenty of resentment was directed at the now aptly named 'Bastard King', the name courtesy of Misato.  Thinking of Shinji reminded Maya that he was to be released today and she wondered if he would pilot for them again after such poor treatment. She decided to find out what the other two thought of the situation.

"You know Shinji gets released today" she said as she turned to face her two colleagues.  Hyuga glanced up form his manga at her sudden question and looked at her curiously for a moment before her words sunk in.

"Hey you're right.  It's been three days; I bet time must have really dragged on for him."

"Yeah, the poor kid.  He saves all of our lives and that's the way he gets repaid for it.  Do you think he'll still pilot after that?" she asked with a concerned look on her face.

"Can't say for sure" Hyuga replied.  "He's a strange kid.  Misato says that he pretty much does as he's ordered to, but after the last battle and how he was punished...I guess only he knows."

"I for one sure hope he stays with it.  He's got a talent for piloting and he's saved our lives three times already" Aoba chimed in after finishing his concert.

"That's for sure."

"But he doesn't enjoy it.  He always gets hurt in the EVA and he seems so miserable" whispered Maya sadly.

"Still what choice is there?" Aoba asked.

"It's either that or we all die.  I for one would like to live out my life to a ripe old age rather than dying tomorrow..." added Hyuga.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right.  But if he doesn't pilot we are in serious trouble.  The second child isn't supposed to show up for another couple of weeks and Unit 00 won't be operational for at least a month" Aoba informed with a frown.

The three of them sat in silence, digesting this latest insight.  Whilst Unit 01 would be repaired by tomorrow, Unit 00 had to have its entire chest remodelled and much of the control interface replaced.  Then there was the regeneration time...  All in all there would be a hell of a lot of work involved in getting the stubborn EVA back to operational ability, let alone peak efficiency.  

"Maybe there's something we can do for Shinji..." Hyuga thought out loud.  Aoba looked at him curiously but Maya sat up straighter as a thought just occurred to her.

"Why don't we go and see him when he gets released this afternoon?"

Aoba and Hyuga both gave her a quizzical look.

"What?" she asked defensively.  The two continued to stare at her like she had grown a third arm out of her skull, but Hyuga's expression softened as he remembered something Misato told him once.

"Misato once told me that Shinji doesn't have many friends.  He doesn't know how to socialise and is really introverted.  Maybe it would be good for him if we showed up and gave him some moral support."

Aoba turned his gaze from Maya to Hyuga.

"Hmmm...now that you put it that way, it might not be such a bad idea."

Maya smiled in triumph and mouthed a thankyou to Hyuga whilst Aoba wasn't looking.  He nodded discretely in reply.

"So what time is he actually being released?" 

"In an hour.  We'll have time to get something to eat before we go and meet him."

Any further conversation ended when the doors to the command centre opened and the relief crew strolled in together.  The three bridge bunnies quickly grabbed their things and vacated their seats for the next shift before heading out the door and towards the cafeteria. After a bite to eat they proceeded to where they would wait for Shinji.

* * * * *

The past three days had been a nightmare for Shinji.  The only time he had ever felt more alone was the day his father abandoned him after his mother's death.  He didn't get much sleep as every time he did the nightmares would start soon after dropping into unconsciousness and he would be awake within minutes.  Being awake wasn't much better as he couldn't get his mind off of the unpleasant thoughts which dominated his consciousness in this place.

The only relief he had, and the only thing that kept him sane, was the regular visits from Misato and Rei.  They came in at different times so that he would have as much company as possible and he found himself longing for more time with them.  It was amazing how different the two were.  Misato was all talk, talk, talk, trying to fill in every second she was there.  Rei on the other hand said very little but her presence was just as comforting as Misato's.  He was always saddened when they were forced to leave because there's only so much you can do when you are locked in a cell by yourself with no entertainment and trapped with unpleasant thoughts.

Whilst he was told that it had only been three days that he was imprisoned it felt like three years.  With one look at Shinji people might actually believe that he had been in there for three years.  He was very ragged looking with large dark circles surrounding his bloodshot eyes and his clothes were dirty and unkempt.  His skin was no longer red from the burning LCL though since he hadn't had a shower since being here he reeked severely.  

When the guard finally arrived to escort him out Shinji couldn't help but sigh in relief.  He was looking forward to breathing in fresh air and being with his friends who were probably worrying about him.  The burly guard led him down the corridor and out into the main room where there was a small crowd waiting for him.  Shinji stopped dead in his tracks and his eyes went wide as he saw the reception awaiting him.

Misato was there at the front and greeted him with a dazzling smile as soon as she saw him.  She quickly ran over and enveloped him in a crushing bear hug which knocked the air out of his lungs and caused him to gasp desperately for air, though without success.  

"Misato I think you're killing him" spoke an amused spectator as Shinji's face turned from normal, to red, to blue.  Upon hearing the words Misato quickly released the poor boy and he promptly collapsed to his knees gasping for breath.  A round of laughter erupted from those present and Misato felt slightly embarrassed at her actions.

"Sorry" she said sheepishly.   "I guess I got a little carried away..."

"A little?" came the sarcastic reply to which Misato just stuck out her tongue in response.

"Are you o.k. Ikari?" queried Rei with the slightest hint of concern in her soft voice as she approached him.

"I'm fine...Ayanami...thanks." He managed to reply in between ragged breaths.  After several moments of silence he finally managed to compose himself and rise to his feet from which he glanced at the faces of those present.  Misato was standing by his side still beaming a brilliant smile and to his other side was Rei who had an almost imperceptible smile which to Shinji was just as brilliant as Misato's.  In front of him much to his surprise was Ritsuko whom Shinji realised was the one teasing Misato and she still had a bemused expression on her face.

"Hello Shinji.  It's good to see you again.  Are you feeling alright?" she asked in her casual tone.

"I'm fine thankyou Dr Akagi" he said softly before turning to the trio standing beside Ritsuko.

Maya Ibuki had a warm smile on her smooth, appealing face and Shinji could see the genuine care in her gentle eyes which caused him to unconsciously smile.  She stood with her arms by her sides and was still dressed in her NERV uniform as were her two workmates.  Seeing his smile only made her own smile broaden and she knew it was the right move to come here.

Shigeru and Makato both stood with their arms crossed but had small smiles on their faces when Shinji looked at them.  

"Hey Shinji.  Misato told us that you were being released today and so Maya thought it would be nice if we came to greet you.  After all you are the man of the moment and we all owe you ours lives and our thanks" Shigeru said as Shinji turned his attention to him.  The comment caused Maya to blush and she lowered her face in an effort to hide it, but not very successfully.  

"He's right Shinji.  You did a really brave thing during that fight and we are all very proud of you" spoke Makato after Shigeru had finished.  His face darkened slightly as he continued.  "We were all shocked when we heard about how the Commander was going to punish you but there was nothing we could do to help.  Being here now and expressing our thanks to you is the least we can do."

Shinji just stood there in shock.  Never before had he heard so much praise from so many people before.  _They actually care he thought to himself and with everyone staring at him he found that he couldn't control the blush consuming him.  Mimicking Maya he dropped his gaze and a gentle round of laughter escaped from the other adults.  Rei was confused as to why Ikari's reaction justified laughter but decided to keep it to herself for now.  Maybe she would ask Shinji or Misato later..._

Looking up once the laughter had died away Maya stepped forward and gently pulled Shinji into a hug.  Shinji was stunned at first (as was everyone else in the room aside from Rei) but quickly melted into the embrace.  They remained like that for only a few seconds before Maya stood back, the blush much more visible now on both of their faces.

"Shinji I want you to know that we all care for you very much.  You are the bravest and the most courageous person I know.  You go out there and you fight for us, defending all of us from the angels and you don't get the recognition you deserve.  Just know that we are all so proud of you and we are always here for you."

"Th-thankyou Miss Ibuki" he stammered after managing to find his voice.

"Please, call me Maya."  

"Thankyou...Maya.  It...It means a lot to me" he whispered and lowered his gaze once more.  Everyone else had just managed to recover from their surprise at Maya's bold (for her) move and Misato decided that the last thing Shinji wanted was to spend more time here underground.

"Alright everyone, I think that Shinji would like to go home and freshen up after his ordeal.  Are we all free tomorrow night?" she asked with a devilish gleam in her eye.  Everyone nodded their agreement and a sly smile formed on her face.

"Excellent!  Then everyone here is invited to the 'welcome home Shinji' party!  How's 1900 sound?"  Once again everyone spoke or nodded their ascent and Misato clapped her hands, very satisfied with the results.  She then turned to Rei.

"And how about you Rei?  I assume you will be there as well?"  Rei looked blankly at Misato for several seconds and Misato found her smile starting to slip.  

"I...I don't know what is expected of me at such a social event" she whispered softly.  Misato's smile picked up as she saw her chance.

"Well I guess we'll just have to have a little girl to girl talk then wont we?" she said with a wink.  Rei didn't understand the gesture but figured it would be simpler if she just agreed.  After all, Ikari was her friend and the party was in his honour so she was naturally going to attend.  An audible groan could be heard from Ritsuko as she realised how badly this could turn out.  

"Well it's settled then!  I don't know about the rest of you but Shinji and I have definitely seen enough of this place so let's go and I'll see you all tomorrow"

Everyone said their goodbyes and Shinji was again surprised as Makato and Shigeru both approached him and shook his hand in thanks before departing.  Ritsuko smiled gently at Shinji and bid him farewell before turning to Maya who again surprised everyone by embracing Shinji again.

"Remember what I said Shinji.  Rest well and I'll see you tomorrow" she said with a warm smile.

"Thankyou Miss Ibu…Maya.  I will.  See you tomorrow" he said with a smile of his own.  Ritsuko just shook her head in wonder and smiled as Maya joined her so that they could leave together.

Rei looked curiously at Maya before joining Misato and Shinji as they made their way out of the prison block and headed to the car park.

* * * * *

"So what was _that_ all about?" asked Ritsuko as she and Maya made their way through the subterranean halls of the Geofront.

"What was what all about?" she inquired curiously.  Ritsuko turned her head to watch her protégé's expression as they continued on their way to the EVA cages.  

"Since when did you get all 'touchy feely'?  And with Shinji no less...is there something you're not telling me?" she asked with a sly smile.  Maya's face was as red as a tomato and she almost tripped over her own two feet in shock at the question.

"Wh...no...it...it's not like that!" she stuttered uncontrollably.  Ritsuko laughed out loud at the younger woman's discomfort.

"Then what's the deal?"  Maya took a moment to compose herself before offering a response.

"It's...it's just something Makato said.  He said that Misato told him that Shinji doesn't have many friends, and that he doesn't make friends easily.  She said that he's really introverted and lacks confidence in himself."

"So when are you going to ask him out?" she asked innocently though couldn't stop herself from grinning like a fool.  Maya's jaw dropped and she stopped dead in her tracks whilst staring Ritsuko in the eye. "That is where this is going isn't it?"

"I told you it's not like that!" she pleaded desperately, still blushing like a school girl.  "I just thought that it might be good for him to have some attention, to have someone say that they care" she continued in a soft voice.

"Do you care for him?" she asked seriously.

"I don't really know him very well, but he seems like such a nice kid and he doesn't deserve the treatment he gets.  I care for his well being and want him to know that he's appreciated."

"I see.  Just be careful that you don't send him the wrong message.  If you're not cautious then you might end up hurting him."

"I wouldn't want that, he experiences enough pain without having someone else dishing out more to him.  Do you think it was a bad idea?" she asked tentatively.  Ritsuko gestured to Maya and they continued walking again as she considered her answer.

"No.  I don't think I've ever seen Shinji smile so honestly before.  Like you said, he does need attention and having an attractive older woman as his friend can only be good for his confidence."  Just as Maya managed to get her blush under control it returned with Ritsuko's complement.

"Th-thankyou ma'am" she managed as she inclined her head.  

"Well if we are going to make it to this party tomorrow night we better pull a double shift tonight.  Unit 00 is still a long way from being operational and if we don't have Unit 01 fully repaired by tomorrow then Ikari will have my head."

"Yes ma'am!" she stated smartly as the two of them entered the EVA cages and went straight to work on Unit 01.

* * * * *

"Home" sighed Shinji as he crossed the threshold of the Katsuragi residence and entered the apartment.  Misato followed close behind him and sealed the door before following him into the living room.  She still wore a playful smile after all the teasing she gave Shinji on the way home.  She had three days to make up for so she wasn't going to miss a single opportunity.

They had dropped Rei home and on the way picked up some takeout to consume since neither were in the mood to cook.  It was still light outside so they decided to sit out on the small balcony to eat because Shinji wanted to enjoy the fresh air.  The two sat together in companionable silence as they consumed their meals, Shinji with great gusto as he hadn't had a semi-decent meal in three days.  Even the mediocre quality of the takeout was better than the slop he was forced to eat in the prison.

They were both lost in their own thoughts as they stared out into the city that was the fortress for all mankind.  The damage caused by the prior battle was still obvious as the destroyed city block had only just been levelled and cleared of rubble.  Shinji frowned as he saw the remains of his handy work and although it wasn't entirely his fault he still couldn't fully forgive himself for missing.  Misato told him that no one was hurt in the blast as all the shelters in the area were buried very deep but that was only a moderate consolation to him.

The angel's corpse was still in the city as they currently didn't have any means with which to remove something of that size and mass.  It was going to cost a fortune to eventually get rid of and Misato was not looking forward to the paperwork that would need to be filled out.  The last angel had been significantly smaller and was destroyed in an easily accessible spot, but this one just had to kick the bucket right in the middle of the city hampering the removal efforts.  It would be there for some time she mused, just another reminder of what mankind has to face in the name of survival.

Both finished their meals at about the same time and Misato, in a rare display of usefulness took both of their empty containers and deposited them in the bin before extracted a beer for herself and a soda for Shinji from the fridge.  Upon returning outside she offered Shinji the soda which he gratefully accepted and readily consumed at a pace which matched Misato.

"It's a beautiful night" commented Misato as the sky had significantly darkened and the artificial lights of the fortress city cast their man-made luminescence in defiance of the night.  

"You know what the worst part of living in a city is?" asked Shinji softly after several moments of silence.  

"What's that?" 

"You can't see the stars" he replied as he stared off into the heavens with a blank expression and unfocussed eyes.  During the battle he had his first unobstructed view of the stars since coming to Tokyo III since all the power was being diverted to his oversized rifle.  It was a site he sorely missed...especially when he was confined underground.  Misato turned to look at him and was only mildly surprised by his contemplative state.  Raising her gaze to the heavens she couldn't help but agree with him.  She remembered how numerous and beautiful the stars were from the Antarctic where humans hadn't settled and thus offered them the best view one could get on the earth.

She also remembered the beauty of the aurora displays that far south.  Due to the nature of the earth's magnetic field before second impact the sight could only be seen in the extreme north and south latitudes and it was the single most beautiful thing she had ever witnessed.  Before long her thoughts turned to the other significant sight she witnessed near the South Pole and she shuddered at the memory.  What she saw was not meant for human eyes and it still haunted her in her sleep to this day.

Shivering uncontrollably, she stood up to head inside but was interrupted by Shinji's soft voice.

"Please don't go" he whispered.  Misato turned to look at him and her heart sank as she saw the pain in his eyes.  Her unpleasant thoughts were instantly forgotten as she made her way over to Shinji and crouched at his side.

"Are you o.k?" she asked gently, concern evident in her voice.

"I...I just...I just don't want to be alone" he spoke so quietly that Misato barely heard him.  She smiled gently at him and leaned forward to embrace him.  He surprised her by holding on to her tightly and resting his head against her shoulder.

"I was so lonely.  Only you and Ayanami would come and see me and the rest of the time there was nothing. Why Misato?  Why did he do that to me?" he broke down in tears after asking the question.  Misato felt as if someone had reached into her chest and tore her heart out.  Here she was with the boy she considered her little brother crying in her arms about how cruelly his father had treated him.  She felt no anger at that moment, only concern for her charge.

"I don't know Shinji, I just don't know.  Your father...he is very driven.  In his position he has to be tough, but there is just no excuse for what he did to you.  I know how much it hurts Shinji, believe me I know but remember that I'm always here for you."  The two remained in their embrace for several minutes before Shinji slowly pulled back and dried his eyes.  He looked at Misato who was smiling gently at him and managed a weak smile of his own.

"Thankyou Misato, for everything."

"It's no problem Shinji.  I'm just glad I could be here for you this time."

Silence reigned once again as they considered the moment they shared and by this time it was fully dark outside.

"Come on Shinji, you better have a shower and get some rest.  You've had a long three days and besides, you're going to want to be your best for when your girlfriend comes around tomorrow" she teased with a sly grin.

"But...but she's not m-my girlfriend!" he stammered whilst blushing profusely.  Misato burst out laughing and pulled him into another hug which he graciously accepted.

"I know, but you're just so much fun to tease!"

"Bully"

"Am not"

"Are to"

Am not"

"Are to"

"I am not!"

"Yes you are!"

"Humph.  Fine, if that's the way it's going to be..." she trailed off with mock indignance.  She released him from the hug and stood up drawing him to his feet.  They stood there looking in to each others eyes for a long moment before Shinji broke the stare.

"Are you going to be alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine now.  Thanks."

"Remember Shinji, you're not alone.  We are always here for you."

"I know" and with that the two roommates re-entered the apartment, one heading off to the bathroom for a long overdue bath and the other to the fridge to retrieve another beer.  _Consoling people is thirsty work Misato thought wistfully as she consumed the can of beer in record time__.  _But it's worth it_ she decided as she retrieved another one before collapsing on the couch to watch some TV._

* * * * *

Shinji awoke the next morning after the longest and most restful sleep he could ever recall.  A combination of being in his own room instead of the uncomfortable and unfamiliar cell and having his treasured S-DAT made for a most relaxing experience.  Glancing over at the clock he noticed that it was five minutes until he would normally get up and that he had forgotten to set his alarm before he fell asleep.

Being decidedly fresh, he didn't bother lying around for the last five minutes and instead got up and headed to his closet from which he extracted a school uniform before heading into the bathroom for his morning shower.  He was actually looking forward to going to school today for the sole reason of seeing his friends again.  Being locked up for so long with no one to regularly talk to was not an experience he wished to relive.

Finishing in the bathroom he paused outside of Misato's door to listen for any sign of life and after several moments he heard her soft rhythmic breathing and realised that she was still asleep.  Not wasting any time he packed his school gear before heading to the kitchen to prepare himself and his roommate breakfast.  Hearing a soft rustling noise behind him, he slowly turned to be confronted by his other roommate who looked none too impressed that he was not first on the list for breakfast.

"Waaark!" screamed the disgruntled penguin as he made his displeasure known by pecking Shinji's foot once.

"Ouch!" he cried in pain and began dancing around the kitchen on one foot whilst simultaneously holding and rubbing the injured foot with his hands.  Still not satisfied with the inaction, the waterbird menacingly stalked towards Shinji with a maniacal gleam in its eye and looked at his uninjured foot with murderous intent.  Realising his plight, Shinji figured that it was better to surrender and put off his meal whilst he tended to the hungry penguin.

"Alright, alright you win!" he muttered as he retreated away from the dangerous animal and opened a can of fish which he promptly dumped in the birds bowl.  The angered avian stared at Shinji impatiently as he deposited the empty can in the bin and turned around to finish preparing his own breakfast.

"Waaark!" came the louder cry of complaint and again Shinji turned around to find the bird staring at him looking even angrier than before.  Realisation hit Shinji and he quickly jumped up on the bench before the penguin could peck his uninjured foot.  The warm water bird eyed Shinji dispassionately and looked to the fridge, then back at Shinji.

"You promise you won't attack me?" he asked as he stared down at his roommate.  PenPen considered his request for a moment before nodding his agreement.  Shinji cautiously eased himself down from the counter wary of any sign of deceit and slinked over to the fridge from which he withdrew a beer and opened it before setting it down next to the animal's bowl of fish.  

He could have sworn that the damn thing smiled at him as it dug eagerly into the fish, washing it down with a can of Yebisu beer.  Shaking his head and sighing softly he turned around and finally managed to finish his breakfast.  Sitting at the table he quickly consumed his first piece of toast and was just starting on his second when Misato's door flew open and the woman stumbled out.  She looked like she had just been run over by a car as she staggered blindly into the kitchen and groped at the fridge searching for her morning wake up call.  

Finding her prize she then stumbled over to the table and collapsed in her regular chair and popped the top of the can.

"Good morning Misato" Shinji said cheerfully before bracing himself for what was about to happen.

"Good morning" was the half-hearted response before she upended the can and chugged down its entire contents in a matter of seconds.  No matter now many times he saw it, Shinji still shook his head in wonder at how the woman could drink like that so often and still keep her figure.

"YEEEEEEHAAAAAAAA!" echoed the ear piercing shriek as Misato officially woke up.  "Now THAT'S how you start a morning!" she finished as she stared at Shinji as if seeing him for the first time that morning.  He quietly finished his breakfast and rose to make more toast for Misato and to bring out another beer for her.

"You read my mind!" she said cheerfully as she began to drink the offered can at a much more sedate pace than the first.  Within minutes the toast was ready and Shinji rejoined Misato at the table.

"So are you looking forward to going back to school?" she asked between mouthfuls of toast.

"Yeah, I guess I am.  I haven't seen Touji and Kensuke in days so it'll be good to catch up with them."

"Oh!  Don't forget to invite them to the party tonight!  And anyone else who you want to bring around as well, there's plenty of room for everyone!" she exclaimed happily as the thought of having a party and getting insanely drunk tonight made its way into her mind.  

"Yeah, I'll remember.  Seven o'clock tonight" he said offhand.  Misato smiled at him before nodding up at the clock.

"You better get going if you don't want to be late for your first day back" she teased and after looking at the clock himself he realised that she was right.  _Where did the time go? he wondered idly as he made his way to the door, picking up his bag along the way._

"Seeya tonight Misato" he called out as he slipped his shoes on.

"Have a nice day!" was the disembodied reply and with that he departed his home to begin the trek to school.

* * * * *

The walk to school was uneventful and yet it was quite an experience for the young Ikari.  After being locked up for three days underground he had a new appreciation for nature and his surroundings.  He started to pass by the park which he had never before given a second glance but this time it seemed somehow different.  Since it was perpetually summer due to the alteration in the earth's axial tilt after second impact, flowers were still in full bloom and the grass a lush green.

Shinji paused to give the sight his full attention and he drank in the beauty of this tranquil retreat in the great fortress city.  Bees buzzed around happily as they inspected each flower carefully, searching for the prize at the centre of each.  Birds chirped away from up in the branches of a large tree that stood defiantly against the metal buildings that surrounded it.  A small fountain sat in the middle of the park and several small birds were bathing in it and splashing water about.  It was such a small and simple little place and yet he couldn't take his eyes off it for long minutes. 

Finally breaking from the trance that had beholden him he realised that he was going to be late and picked up his pace so as not to arrive too long after the bell.  Numerous other small sights caught his eye as he strolled along but he didn't stop for them; however that's not to say that he didn't admire them.  _Funny how such an experience can change your perception of things..._ he thought as the school finally came into view with no one standing out the front.  

He briskly proceeded through the halls and finally came to room 2-A.  He quietly opened the door and everyone turned to see who had entered their class.  Surprise was the most dominant expression from his classmates.  Aside from a few smiles by a couple of the girls and some glares by several boys, the rest just stared.  

"I'm sorry I'm late sensei" Shinji said, politely bowing to his teacher.

"I've been informed of the situation.  You may take your seat Ikari" replied the teacher absently.  Shinji quickly made his way to his seat and collapsed into it ignoring the stares from the other students.  The teacher resumed his usual lecture about life before second impact and the effects that second impact had on the earth and its inhabitants.

Shinji just tuned it out like he normally did and found his thoughts dwelling on his harrowing experience.  _How could father do that to me?  We won the battle and I saved Rei so why did he have to be so cold?_  He turned to see Rei sitting in her usual seat in her usual position of having her head cupped in the palm of one hand whilst staring absently out of the window.  He stared at her for several seconds but noticing no change he returned his gaze to his desk.

His thoughts quickly resumed their dark course. _What happens if I am in a situation like that again?  What happens if I have to choose between killing the angel and saving a friend?  I can't let someone I care for die, so I know what choice I'll make... but what will he do to me next time? _

Despite willing it to be otherwise, he couldn't get his mind off the recent events and the dark possibilities that the future might hold.  The only good thing about his thoughts was that the lesson passed by quickly and before he knew it the bell for lunch rang.  Finally broken out of his thoughts Shinji packed up his gear but before he could even stand up he was confronted by two boys.

"Where you been?"  "Are you alright?" were the simultaneous questions from his two friends Touji Suzahara and Kensuke Aida.  Shinji looked at them both briefly before shrugging his shoulders and picking up his lunch from his bag.

"Yeah I'm alright.  Just got a lot on my mind that's all" he sighed.  His dark mood didn't go unnoticed by the pair whom despite being known as the 'idiot duo' really weren't as stupid as most people thought.

"Were you injured in the last battle?  No one would tell us anything when we asked and you have been absent for three days... " Kensuke probed with his ever present video camera held at the ready by his side.  Realising that he couldn't tell them the truth of the matter Shinji strained for a believable lie...unfortunately lying wasn't one of his strong points.

"Uh...they had to uh...confine me at NERV HQ after the battle...to make sure that I uh...was fully recovered..." he stumbled over his words and grimaced at how unbelievable they sounded.  Touji nodded his head, understanding the situation but Kensuke; ever alert for gossip about the EVAs or the battles involving the EVAs wasn't satisfied.

"Come on man, you gotta tell me something!  I won't go bragging about it to anyone I promise!" he begged with his best helpless expression.  Shinji already uncomfortable with the position he was in struggled mentally to diffuse the situation.  Nothing he thought of sounded convincing and he began to panic when he received help from an unexpected quarter.

"Ikari was confined in NERV headquarters as he previously stated.  Why is this hard for you to accept?"  The trio turned at the soft monotonous voice and stared at its owner in awe.  Shinji managed a slight smile whilst Touji and Kensuke just stared in mute shock at hearing Rei come to Shinji's defence.  

"Thanks Ayanami" he breathed and she nodded very slightly before strolling out of the door and heading to a secluded spot where she could eat her lunch in solitude.  Touji and Kensuke followed her exit with their eyes, still unable to manipulate their tongue and vocal cords in a manner necessary to form words.  Shinji saw this as his chance and snatched his lunch before darting out of the door leaving the stunned youths staring off into space.

"Did that just happen?" asked a very bewildered Touji.

"I think it did" Kensuke muttered in awe.

* * * * *

Hikari Horaki was sitting outside the building with two of her classmates and friends Ryoko and Ayumi eating her lunch.  The day was glorious with not a cloud in sight and so the threesome decided that such a moment shouldn't be wasted even though most days were like this.  They spoke about all the things that junior high school girls talked about, telling each other of all the latest gossip.  

Hikari for the most part was just listening as she had her mind on other things.  She absently ate her food and interjected a comment here and there when spoken to but she couldn't get her mind off something, or rather someone.  She dared not tell anyone about her crush because she was embarrassed about how much teasing she would endure.  She was sure that he didn't look at her that way anyway...but she was definitely going to find out one way or another.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw the object of her affection walking out through the door of the school building with his ever present friend in tow.  She watched curiously as he looked around the schoolyard before finally spotting what he was looking for and set off at a brisk pace to sit with his friend Shinji who had left the building moments previous.  Ever looking for a reason to talk to him without drawing suspicion, Hikari wondered how she could engineer the current situation to her advantage.

Hikari was a smart girl, no one doubted that and she quickly came up with an appropriate course of action.  Smiling slightly she excused herself from her friends and gracefully made her way over to the trio across the yard, taking her time so as not to raise suspicion.  As she drew near she caught the end of their conversation.

"Yeah, oh by the way, Misato is having a party over at the apartment at seven tonight.  You guys are gonna show up I assume?" Shinji asked quickly, relishing the chance to have some extra company at home tonight.

"Misato?  Of course we'll be there!" cried Kensuke in joy at the proposition.  He made a mental note to recharge his camera as soon as he got home and to prepare a couple of extra tapes.  Touji for his part just had a big grin plastered on his face as he nodded emphatically.

"So what's the occasion?" he asked curiously still grinning like a fool.  

"Uh well you know Misato...heh...she could throw a party for anything..." Shinji answered evasively, not wanting to touch on their earlier topic.

"Well I'd like to know Misato better..." Touji trailed off as his eyes glazed over, playing out some hentai fantasy in his mind, or so Shinji assumed.

"What was that Suzahara?" inquired an authoritive voice from behind him.  Touji jumped several feet in the air before landing on his feet and spinning around to face the unknown eavesdropper.  He was thinking about what he would like to do to the person behind him and opened his mouth to voice his thoughts before he saw who belonged to the voice and his eyes went wide.

Behind him stood Hikari Horaki, the class rep with her hands on her hips and a frown on her pretty face.  Touji stuttered incoherently before finally managing to get his tongue under control and replying in his native language.

"Hikari!  I didn't see you there... " he started lamely as her gaze bored into him.  Her look silenced whatever else he was going to say and she quickly strode over to him and grabbed his ear twisting it painfully until his head was at her level.  Touji cried out in pain and Kensuke burst out laughing whilst Shinji couldn't help but smile at his friend's predicament.

"What were you saying Suzahara?" she asked in her 'class rep' voice which made Touji squirm.  He pleaded with Shinji and Kensuke with his eyes but he saw that he was going to get no help from either of them.  Taking a deep breath he decided to take a gamble...

"Well Shinji just told us that Misato is having a party tonight and I was wondering if you wanted to come along?" he asked in his most convincing voice and the most genuine smile he could muster given the present circumstances.  The reaction wasn't quite what he expected.

"Really?  You want me to come along?" she asked with a bright smile lighting up her face.

"Yeah, definitely" Touji replied gaining in confidence.  Much to his relief she released his now red and aching ear and he retreated a couple of steps so that she couldn't easily reacquire it.  - Go to a party with Touji?!  This is too good to be true! -She thought as she looked at the boy holding his ear.

"Sorry about the ear Tou- Suzahara.  I thought you were saying something inappropriate."  She cursed herself mentally for her near slip up but felt sure that no one had noticed.

"Who me?" he asked innocently.  She narrowed her eyes at him and he involuntarily took another step back, his innocent smile replaced with a cautious look.  He was ready to flee if need be...  Seeing his expression change, Hikari lightened her own expression and turned to Shinji.

"So what time is this party Shinji?" she asked sweetly.

"Seven o'clock tonight.  There will be a few people from NERV there too but they are all good people so it should be a good night" he offered.  Hikari didn't care who was going so long as Touji would be there.

"Great I'll be there!" she stated and turned to bid them farewell before she remembered the cover she was using to speak to Touji.

"Oh by the way, are you alright Shinji?  You were absent for the past three days and as the class rep it's my job to look into these things."  She noticed Shinji tense at the mention of his absence and he didn't meet her gaze when he finally replied.

"I was held back at NERV after the battle to make sure that I was o.k.  It's nothing major and I'm fine...really" he hated lying and that was probably why he was so bad at it.  _At least it was the same lie I told Touji and Kensuke_ he thought as he finally raised his eyes to meet Hikari's.  He knew by her expression that she didn't believe him, but like Touji she understood the situation.

"O.k. then.  Thanks for telling me.  I guess I'll see you all tonight.  Bye" she said cheerfully before making her way back over to her friends.  She was almost floating the whole way back and found herself at odds when asked to explain what she was so happy about.

* * * * *

The rest of the school day passed by uneventfully and a relieved sigh was heard from most of the class when the final bell sounded.

"Everyone Rise.  Bow.  Dismissed" chanted Hikari and as the teacher strolled out everyone quickly grabbed their things and made their way to the exit.  Shinji took his time on the way home as he wasn't particularly looking forward to being greeted by an empty apartment.  He stopped off at the same park he paused at on the way to school and was surprised to see some young kids playing there.  He couldn't help but smile slightly at the antics of the little ones.  They were having the time of their life, chasing each other around whilst laughing and screaming.  Their parents were sitting on a bench watching them with loving eyes, an expression which Shinji couldn't remember ever being directed at him.  

The children continued on with their game completely ignorant of the larger issues and the fact that the future of mankind was looking bleak.  His smile vanished as the darker thoughts once again entered his mind and he found that he could no longer stand the sight.  Everything rested on his and Rei's shoulders, if they failed then the whole human race would suffer because of it.  Then to top it all off even when he did save humanity he was punished for it.  _Is this my fate?  To fight for those who don't give a damn about me?_  He frowned and bowed his head in defeat.  It seemed that whenever he was by himself of late his thoughts always turned unerringly to his most painful experience to date.  He stopped considering this fact.  The party wasn't going to start until seven o'clock tonight and Misato wouldn't be home until six o'clock.  That meant he'd have to spend two and a half hours on his own with only his thoughts.

Whilst the thought wasn't very pleasant, he felt that he didn't have much choice in the matter as there wasn't much point in going to his friends places when they were going to be coming around tonight.  He still had his S-DAT and it never failed to put him in a good mood.  Cheering up slightly he made the rest of the trip home without a single dark thought and quickly fixed himself a snack before heading to his room.

As he was reaching for electronic salvation (his S-DAT) he noticed his cello sitting in the corner where it had been since he moved in.  He considered the instrument and remembered how his teacher said that he had a natural gift for playing.  With plenty of time to kill and nothing overly important to be done he took the instrument out of its case and sat on a chair to tune it.  It was a very high quality instrument as apparently his father had gifted his guardian with a decent amount of funds, not that Shinji had desired much.  He looked at its flawless surface intently before finally setting himself up to play.

After quite a few minutes of tuning the instrument by ear he was finally satisfied and closed his eyes whilst he positioned the bow against the strings.  He had several books which contained solo pieces, but he always found it more satisfying when he just played it by ear so to speak.  He let his mind wander and his arm sent the bow gently across the strings as if it were possessed.  

The piece started slowly at first with long deep notes echoing through the apartment to match his melancholic state but before long his mood started to pick up and the music did likewise.  Shorter, higher pitched notes contrasted with the lower notes and soon the volume also picked up.  The bow moved like lightning across the strings in a rapid up beat melody which continually raised and dropped entire octaves as he let the music flow as if it had a will of its own.  Eventually the melody hit its climax and began to fall before gently slowing to a crawl and finishing with a long satisfying note.

Shinji realised that he was breathing rather heavily not to mention sweating profusely and was startled when he looked at the clock to find it reading four thirty.  He had been playing for about an hour, but it seemed like only minutes to him.  After he slowed his breathing he put the instrument away and headed to the bathroom to take a long soak in the bath.  Maybe this time he would be able to escape those bad memories that always found him in the bath.

* * * * *

"I'm home!" Misato yelled as she opened the door and stumbled inside.  Hearing no response she frowned thoughtfully before struggling forward with bag upon bag of supplies for the party due to start in half an hour.  Finally reaching the kitchen she dumped the bags and looked around in an attempt to find her young roommate.  Seeing that he wasn't in the kitchen or lounge room and that the bathroom door was open, she surmised that he must be in his room.

Panting slightly from the exertion of carrying so much stuff (when Misato shops she really shops!) she glided over to Shinji's door and knocked lightly.

"Shinji you in here?"  She heard some shuffling followed by a mumbled 'yeah' and she inched the door open and poked her head through.  Shinji was lying on his bed with his S-DAT and staring at the ceiling.  Studying him carefully for a couple of moments she was relieved to see that he didn't seem depressed and so since they didn't have much time to spare she thought that they should start preparing.

"You wanna give me a hand preparing this place or are you just gonna lie there all night?" she teased jovially with a playful smile.  He turned to look at her and realised at glimpsing her expression that she was just teasing.

"You're late" he said much to her surprise as he made his way into a sitting position.  Taken aback by the abrupt change in subject she took a second to compose herself.

"Yeah well I had to get a few extra things from the store and the line up was unbelievable!" she said with an exasperated expression.  Shinji smiled slightly and rose to his feet.  Misato retreated from the doorway and the two of them made their way to the kitchen.

"Could you start putting this stuff away whilst I take a bath?  I'll help you set out everything else when I'm finished K?" she asked over her shoulder as she headed to her room.

"Yeah sure" he said and started putting everything away.  He had no idea what exactly Misato had planned but there was enough food here to feed an army, and enough alcohol to satisfy the entire staff of NERV...  He was so busy with his work that he didn't notice the figure sneaking up behind him until it voiced its presence.

"Waaark!" 

Shinji jumped and spun around to confront the penguin, his mind recalling the events this morning and he subconsciously looked at his foot.  Looking back at PenPen, he didn't detect the hostility from this morning and relaxed slightly.

"What was wrong with you this morning?" he asked whilst he grabbed a tin of fish from the fridge.  Once he turned around he heard PenPen give a loud 'Waaark!' before gesturing at Misato's door and then opening his mouth and pointing at it with one flipper.  Shinji grimaced as he realised the problem.  

"You were angry at me for leaving Misato to prepare your meals" he stated with a solemn nod.  The penguin nodded emphatically and waited whilst Shinji set out the fish and beer.

"I'm sorry about that...It's not as if I had a choice in the matter" he mused bitterly.  The penguin cocked his head to the side and studied him carefully before coming over and wrapping it's flippers around his leg.  Shinji stooped down and picked up the large waterbird and gave it a gentle hug.

"Thanks PenPen.  I'm sorry for leaving you to the horror of Misato's cooking and I'll try to be around so that it won't happen again" he stated solemnly.  If PenPen could have smiled he would have, but since he was just a penguin he simply nodded his approval before Shinji set him down to devour his meal.  PenPen didn't waste any time in getting stuck in and Shinji found himself watching the avian with interest.  _Even he cares for me.  So why can't my own father give a damn? _

Knowing not the answer he finished putting things away and collapsed on the couch to wait for the guests to arrive.  He subconsciously noted when Misato came out to set everything up and it wasn't until the doorbell rang that he was jolted out of his musings.  

"Could you get that please?" she asked from the kitchen.  He acknowledged his roommate and tenderly struggled from the comfort of the couch and made his way to the door.  

"Hi Ayanami" he said with a smile as he noticed who was standing on the other side of the door.  Rei stood before him dressed in her school uniform with her hands clasped before her.  Excluding her plug suit, Shinji had never seen her wear anything aside from the said uniform, though it seemed to fit her perfectly he thought.  It clung to her lithe body gently and seemed to lend a certain innocence to her.  That thought instantly vanished when one looked into her hard red eyes though.

"Good evening Ikari."  The two stood there for several moments before Shinji realised he was staring and lowered his head to hide his blush.  He stepped back and gestured for her to come in.  She quietly entered the apartment and waited for Shinji to lead her into the living room which he did.

"Ayanami's here" he called out to Misato as he gestured for her to take a seat.

"Hey Rei, right on time" _what a surprise..._ she mused to herself as she came out of the kitchen to greet her guest in person.  Entering the living room she found the two teens sitting on separate chairs in silence.  

"So..." she began "How's school going Rei?"  The blue haired girl turned her attention to Misato and no matter how many times she was exposed to that crimson gaze she still didn't feel comfortable.  She felt like Rei was looking into her very core and seeing everything she had ever done.  Misato had done a lot of bad things in her time and she didn't feel comfortable with the thought that someone could see them... even though the idea was absurd.

"I am currently in the top 1% of the class with regards to my academic study.  I am also at the top of my swimming class" she replied coolly.  

"That's great, but are you enjoying it?" she asked somewhat dismayed by Rei's analytical response.

"I do not understand the relevance of the question" she said in some confusion.

"Never mind..." Misato mumbled disheartened by the turn of the conversation.  

"Would you like a drink or something to eat Ayanami?" Shinji asked sensing the end of the conversation.

"I would like a glass of water."

"Sure thing" Shinji said and headed into the kitchen to conform to Rei's request.  After he returned with the water a heavy silence settled over the apartment as Misato left to finish preparing and the two children were left on their own.  Shinji's mind ticked over furiously in an effort to start a conversation but he couldn't find anything that he wanted to talk about.  At least nothing that he _and Rei would talk about..._

Thankfully the silence was eventually interrupted by the doorbell and Shinji jumped to his feet to get it.  Opening the door he was confronted by the smiling face of the class rep Hikari Horaki.  

"Hi Shinji!" she greeted cheerfully and Shinji took a few moments to reply.  He always thought that Hikari was quite pretty, but to see her outside of school and in her casual clothes rather than a school uniform made her look even more so.  She still wore her hair in the omnipresent twin pigtails and her modest pale green sundress clung loosely to her small frame dropping to knee level.  Finally reigning in his surprise he smiled and found his voice.

"Hello class rep.  I'm glad you could make it."  

"Oh come on, we're not in school so please call me Hikari" she told him.

"Ah, s-sure, Hikari.  Why don't you come on in?  It's just you Misato and Ayanami at the moment but I'm sure that the others will show up soon."  Her smile slipped fractionally at the news but Shinji didn't think much of it as he stood aside and let her into the apartment.  Hikari's presence sparked some conversation as she chatted away with Misato and tried to get Shinji and Rei in on the conversation with limited success.  The four sat together and exchanged idle banter for several minutes before the next guest arrived.  

Again it was Shinji who greeted them as he quickly realised that Misato wasn't going to be moving any time soon with the six pack of beer cans she surrounded herself with, despite the underage company.  Sighing at her antics he opened the door to be greeted by the aptly named 'idiot duo.'  The two boys greeted Shinji and pushed past him in their eagerness to greet Misato.  Again Shinji sighed and was just about to close the door when he spied Makato strolling down the corridor and waited for the older man to approach.

"Good evening Shinji.  How have you been?" he asked courteously.  

"Fine thanks.  How about you?"

"Oh fine, fine.  Another day another pay check and all that..." he said with a smile.  

"Come on in, I'm sure Misato will be happy for some adult company."  Hyuga's smile widened slightly and he stepped past Shinji and into the living room.  Shinji followed a few moments later after checking to see if anyone else was approaching.  Since they were the only tenants in this apartment block it was safe to assume that anyone approaching was going to be here for the party.

Upon returning to the living room he found his latest guests being greeted and moving to seat themselves.  Shinji fixed up the drinks for the newcomers and moved back into the kitchen to retrieve some snacks.  

"Why is Shinji doing all the work?  Isn't this party for him?" asked Hikari whilst staring at Misato with an eyebrow arched.  

"Well uh...he's doing such a good job...and he likes it.  Besides it helps take his mind off things..." she commented after which she quickly raised her can of beer to her lips in order to avoid Hikari's glare.

"That's just not right!" she stated and rose from her position to head into the kitchen to assist Shinji.  The others merely stared at each other and shrugged their shoulders before returning to their conversation. 

"Need a hand?" she asked once she had entered the kitchen.  Shinji turned around and offered her a half smile.

"Well...it's not really necessary; you're a guest so you shouldn't have to do any work..."  Hikari frowned at his response.

"Well this party is in your honour, so it's not right for you to do the work either.  Why don't we both do a little therefore neither of us has to do too much?"  Shinji hesitated trying to make sense of her comment before simply nodding in agreement.  Hikari's response was a satisfied smile and she went to work besides Shinji to prepare the snacks which Misato had neglected to do before.

The two brought in several plates of crackers, cheese, chocolates and the like, and watched as everyone greedily dug into the offered food.  Conversation was momentarily put on hold as the desire to eat was greater than that of speaking and the only sounds to be heard for the next moments were those of food being consumed.  Soon enough the conversation resumed and everyone relaxed, that was until they were interrupted by the doorbell yet again.

"Shinji..." Misato trailed off as she looked at him with pleading eyes and batted her eyebrows at him.  Touji and Kensuke stared open-mouthed at the display but Shinji just sighed, nodded and rose to meet the guests.  

"Thanks Shinji" she called out after him.  He opened the front door and was met by the remaining three invited guests.  Shigeru Aoba stood on the left with a duffle bag filled with something Shinji couldn't see in his hands and he bowed slightly at Shinji.  Maya Ibuki and Ritsuko Akagi both stood in the corridor dressed in their work clothes and they explained that they had come straight from work and didn't have time to change.  

Shinji stood to the side after greeting them all and they proceeded inside.  Ritsuko walked straight past Shinji and immediately grabbed one of Misato's beers before collapsing into a chair and gulping down the amber liquid.  Maya flashed Shinji a warm smile before she too entered and sat down next to Ritsuko, though she made no effort to grab a drink.  Shigeru winked at Shinji before opening the bag for his inspection.  

"Can't have a party without music now can you?" he asked with a grin.  Inside the bag were CD upon CD, none of which Shinji recognised.  

"I guess not..." he said in reply.  

"You do have a CD player don't you?" he asked as he closed up the bag.

"Yeah sure" Shinji replied as he led Shigeru through to the living room and showed him to the device.  Shigeru wasted no time in extracting the CDs from the bag and laying them all out on the floor.  

"What type of music are you into Shinji?" he asked as he perused the selection before him.

"Uh...well...mostly classical.  I haven't really listened to anything else..." 

"You should broaden your horizons.  I don't have any classical with me, though..." he trailed off as he dug through the CDs before finding the one he was looking for.  Shinji didn't get a chance to see the cover before Shigeru inserted it in the player and waited for it to read.

"This is a combination of an old heavy metal band I like and a classical symphony.  It's a bit different to what you listen to but it's the closest I've got.  Who knows, you may just like it..."  Shinji arched an eyebrow in response but didn't make any comment.  He didn't know what heavy metal was, though he didn't think that he would like it but he would wait until he heard it before making any judgements.  Aoba took the cover out from the front of the case and gave it to Shinji.

"The lyrics are in English but here is a translation so you can understand what the words are."

"Uh, thanks" he said as he began to peruse the small booklet.  Within a couple of seconds the music kicked in and Aoba left to get himself a drink.  Shinji was surprised when the first two tracks turned out to be instrumentals.  The first was a short one in which only the symphony played but the second was much longer and the band which he read was called Metallica joined in.  He was even more surprised to find that he quite liked the music.  

He was so engrossed in the music and reading the lyrics that he lost all sense of time.  Everyone else seemed to be enjoying themselves as well and no one noticed Shinji's absence, except for one person.  She was observing the way in which everyone was interacting and making mental notes for future reference. 

All of the adults except for Maya were drinking prolific amounts of alcohol and the more they drank the louder and less coherent they seemed to become.  Their conversations also deteriorated as their inhibitions were lost and there was much abuse directed at Gendo Ikari.  Only a few days earlier Rei would have been insulted by the lack of respect shown to the Commander, but now she felt that some of it was justified.  She didn't agree with some of the comments but she wouldn't report it.

Hikari was chatting away with Maya and sneaking looks at Touji all night.  She tried talking to him several times though they both seemed very awkward around each other.  Kensuke was filming everything that was happening and constantly interrogated the adults about NERV and the EVAs...with no success.  Touji seemed content to eat everything that was within reach and stare openly at the beautiful women, much to Hikari's displeasure.  Not wanting to make a big scene in front of everyone she contented herself with glaring at the oblivious boy and planning how she could 'reprimand' him afterwards.

Rei noticed that Shinji had been gone for quite a while and since no one else seemed to notice she decided to investigate.  Rising to her feet she departed the room and found Shinji siting in front of the stereo reading a small booklet.  She studied him in silence.  He seemed to be quite relaxed as he listened to the music.  His eyes never seemed to leave the booklet he was studying and she found herself oddly comforted by his contentment.

She studied him for several minutes before finally deciding to approach him.  Shinji didn't notice her until she sat down beside him and looked at him intently.  He looked back at her, enraptured by her beauty and completely lost for words.  _This seems to be the usual way we start a conversation... he thought sheepishly before opening his mouth to speak._

"Hi Ayanami, are you enjoying yourself?"  Rei continued to stare at him for several moments before cocking her head slightly to the side and answering.

"I do not know what you mean" she finally answered as she turned to look at the stereo.  Shinji was taken aback.  He knew that Rei didn't have much experience with, well as Ritsuko called it 'living', but didn't everyone know what enjoyment was?  He frowned thoughtfully as he considered how to rephrase the question.

"Do you feel...comfortable?" he ventured.  She turned her gaze back to him and he found himself trapped by the intensity of her vermillion stare.

"I feel comfortable...with you" was her hesitant reply.  Shinji's breath caught in his throat as the words left the soft spoken girl's mouth.  _She feels comfortable...with me?_  The two stared at each other for a very long time, one not willing to break the stare and the other unable to.  They might have stayed that way all night were it not for a particularly loud interruption.

"What are you two doing?" inquired a slurred voice from the doorway.  Both teens turned to find out who the drunken intruder was.  Shinji wasn't at all surprised when he discovered Misato leaning heavily against the wall and staring at him with a 'know it all' smile.  He had seen that expression enough times to understand what was about to come.

"I'm not interrupting anything am I?" she asked whilst staggering further into the room.  

"N-no.  We were just...talking" he said uneasily.  Misato's expression didn't change and it made him feel even more uncomfortable.

"Oh suuuuuure you were just talking.  That's why you were looking at each other so intently...  You two were about to kiss weren't you?"

"N-no!  We...we weren't go...going to..." he trailed off as an intense blush consumed him.  Rei for her part just stared at Misato impassively.  She wasn't sure what to make of Misato's comments but the thought of kissing Ikari was foreign to her.  Rei knew enough about human interaction that people kiss when they are in a relationship but she and Ikari were in not currently in one.  Although the idea of kissing Ikari didn't seem so...unpleasant...  She cared deeply for Ikari and would willingly sacrifice her life for him but she hadn't previously thought of getting close to him in that way.  This was yet another thing she would have to give great consideration to.  Hearing Shinji stuttering away almost incoherently, she decided to interject.

"I assure you that we were not about to engage in such an activity" she said matter-of-factly.  Shinji stopped his stuttering and looked at her with a mixture of relief and...disappointment?  Misato found her train of thought derailed by the statement and with her mind fogged by excessive amounts of alcohol she couldn't come up with a witty retort.  Deciding that there was plenty of time later to finish this, she grabbed yet another armful of cans and headed back to join the others.

Shinji and Rei meanwhile continued to stare at each other.  Rei thought that she could see a trace of hurt in Shinji's eyes and she was most unsettled.

"Are you o.k. Ikari?"

"Yeah...I...I'm fine" he said as he looked back to the pile of CDs in front of him.  She sat in silence as he went through the large number of CDs and not being experienced in the art of comforting someone decided it would be best to depart.

"I shall take my leave now Ikari" she said as she rose to her feet.  Shinji looked up at her in surprise.

"You're going?"

"Yes.  I have to be at headquarters early tomorrow morning and I will require sleep before then."

"I...I see.  Well...thanks for coming Ayanami."

"It was not a problem" she said, and with that she exited the room and proceeded to leave the apartment.  Shinji stared after her, lost in thought.  - What did she mean by that?  Does she see me as just pilot Ikari?  What do I feel for her? -  Sensing that he wouldn't find the answer anytime soon he returned his attention to the music and focused on the lyrics in an effort to take his mind off the enigma that was Rei Ayanami.  After changing to the second CD he decided to rejoin the others and inquire to Aoba about other music he may recommend.

The rest of the night passed by rather uneventfully.  As the clock struck 11:00, everyone decided that it was time to leave, after all, some people had school tomorrow and the rest had work to attend.  Shinji and Misato stood at the door as the guests filed out, one by one.  Hyuga was the first to leave and he bid Misato and Shinji a good evening as he headed to the elevator.

Maya and Ritsuko were the next to leave, Ritsuko being supported heavily by Maya as she was too drunk to stand up on her own.  Poor Maya was struggling desperately with the almost dead weight of her mentor and she was relieved when Aoba came to her rescue.  

"I'll trade you" he said as he held out his duffle bag to Maya who gratefully accepted and let Shigeru carry Ritsuko to the elevator after he said his farewells.  Maya turned to the pair at the door and bowed respectfully.

"Thankyou for your hospitality, I had a really good time" she said with a genuine smile.  The pair smiled back in reply.

"It's no problem, I'm just glad to have my Shinji back and since everyone here appreciates him as well, it was only fitting to have a party to honour our hero" she said as she pulled him into a hug.  Shinji smiled at the warm words of appreciation and he caught the jealous glares of his two best friends out of the corner of hie eye.  Not to be outdone Maya stepped forward and embraced Shinji after Misato finished and placed a peck on his cheek.  Shinji blushed at the extra attention and was aware that his friends now stared at him with open-mouthed shock.  Even Misato looked rather surprised at the technician's action.

"I'll see you all later then" she said as she turned on her heel and hurried to catch up with the other two whom she was responsible for taking home.  Hikari was the next to step out of the door and she gave Shinji a funny look before thanking them both for inviting her.  Touji slapped Shinji heavily on the back as he strolled past and both he and Kensuke gave him big grins and a look to say that there would be a discussion about this tomorrow...

"Way to go Ikari" they both said before bowing deeply to Misato.  "We had a great time Misato.  Thankyou for inviting us" they chimed in unison.  Misato just smiled playfully and in her most sensual voice said that it wasn't a problem.  Shinji shook his head at their love struck gazes but Hikari felt that something more physical was required.  Stepping forward she grabbed Touji's ear and twisted it, much like she had done earlier in the day.  Again he cried out in pain as he was dragged down mere inches from Hikari's face.

"I think it's time to leave don't you Mr Suzahara?" she asked in a no-nonsense tone.

"Ah yeah, sure..." he squeaked as the pressure increased due to his hesitation.  Letting out a satisfied 'humph' she released his ear and stood back.  Completely oblivious to the others around her she clasped her hands in front of her and put her most innocent expression as she stared at her crush.

"Are you going to walk me home Suzahara?  There are a lot of unsavoury types out there and I would feel much safer if you were by my side..."  Touji just stared at her dumbfounded. 

"Well...I...ah...I really have to be..." his sentence was cut off as he received a blow to the head from behind.  He cried out before turning around to see Kensuke with a severe expression and shaking his head.  Narrowing his eyes he mouthed what he was going to do to Kensuke later and smirked as the smaller boy paled.  Achieving the desired result he turned back to Hikari who was waiting patiently for his response.

"Ah...ah, sure class rep.  After all, it isn't proper for a girl to wander the streets at night by herself."  He was rewarded with a glamorous smile and he couldn't help but notice how attractive Hikari was.  He sure wasn't against walking her home...he was just worried that the other two might find out about his feelings for the girl.  The two said their final goodbyes and departed together leaving the remaining three behind shaking their heads.

"I don't believe that guy.  Why doesn't he just own up and tell her how he feels?" Kensuke wondered out loud.

"I guess he thinks that we don't know how he feels." Shinji interjected.  

"Yeah probably.  Oh well...I guess it's my cue to leave.  I'll seeya tomorrow hey Shinji?"

"Yeah, for sure" he replied.  Kensuke bowed deeply to Misato and thanked her once again before leaving the apartment complex.  With all the visitors gone the two residents stepped back inside and sealed the door.

"Was this a good idea or what?" asked a thoroughly satisfied (and drunk) Misato.

"Yeah, everyone seemed to have a good time."

"Well, I'm beat and you have school tomorrow.  Let's leave the cleanup until the morning so we can both get some rest, what do ya say?"  Too tired to argue Shinji just nodded his head and the two flicked the lights off before retreating to their respective rooms for a well deserved rest.

**Author's Notes:         **Well not much action in this chapter but plenty of character building (or at least I hope it come out that way.)  It turned out longer than I had intended and whilst I re-wrote the party scene several times I just couldn't seem to make it the way I really wanted it so I just left it as it is now.  Hell the damn scene has more than 4300 words but I couldn't seem to cut it down without losing anything important and keeping continuity.

The scenes with Maya may seem a little OOC for her but she is one of the kindest characters in the series and so I can see her feeling for Shinji and wanting to be kind to him.  Hell I've read a couple of Shinji/Maya fics and so in comparison I don't think I've done anything too outlandish with her.

And yes I am a massive Metallica fan so expect more of their music later in the story!

Well that's about it for this chapter.  Chapter 3 has been written already and will be uploaded by the end of the week but I haven't worked out chapter 4 yet...   Hopefully inspiration will strike me like it has done for the previous chapters and it'll be out without too much delay.  Stay tuned and I will try not disappoint, I promise more EVA action in the next instalment!

Ezstarius.


	3. Chain Reaction

Big thanks to Steve Vader and my other mysterious friend for prereading for me.  

**Chapter 3 – Chain Reaction**

The next day started pretty much the same way as the previous.  The sun rose in the east casting its incandescent radiance upon the nation of Japan, chasing away the night time darkness and rousing the numerous sleeping creatures from their slumber.  A cloudless blue sky greeted any who raised their gaze to the heavens and the temperature immediately began its steady climb to later achieve a level which would not have been out of place at the pre-second impact equator.

In the Katsuragi apartment things were much the same as usual.  Shinji awoke just before his alarm was going to blare its incessant buzzing and shut the thing off before it had a chance.  Rolling out of bed he immediately began his morning ritual and not half an hour later was seated at the table consuming his breakfast of green tea and toast.  PenPen had already been fed and right on cue Misato's door slid open revealing the haggard NERV Captain dressed scantily in her pyjamas and holding her head in one hand as if her neck were incapable of supporting the weight.  Shinji watched her stumble into the kitchen and retrieve a beer before collapsing into her chair and popping the top of the can.

_She looks terrible_ he thought as he watched the obviously hung-over woman attempt to dull the pain of last nights drink fest with yet more alcohol.

"Good morning Misato.  Are...are you alright?" he asked as she began to raise the can to her lips with a trembling hand.

"Fine" she grunted, unhappy at being interrupted before she could even get a sip.  As if to make up for it she chugged down the entire contents of the can as though it were merely water and not alcohol.

"YEEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAAA!" she wailed before slamming the can down on the table with a crushing force that shook Shinji's plate and cup.  Her transformation from tired, hung over woman to fully awake guardian complete, she looked at Shinji with a big smile and bid him a cheerful good morning.  Shinji's response was a frown and a shake of his head.

"What's wrong?" she asked whilst grabbing his remaining untouched piece of toast from in front of him.

"Nothing..." he mumbled before heading off to the kitchen to make more toast for the two of them.  Misato was going to push him into giving her an answer but she already knew what the frown was for.  There was no way he could possibly understand her reasons for why she acted the way she did so it was better to just leave it be.  She waited patiently whilst he cooked up the toast and returned to the table.  Misato narrowed her eyes at him as he put a cup down in front of her.

"What's this?" she inquired suspiciously whilst leaning forward to smell the aroma of the beverage.

"Tea" he said simply before picking up his piece of toast and taking a bite out of it.  Misato glared openly at him but he refused to meet her gaze, much to her annoyance.

"I didn't ask for tea.  You know that I need my morning beer to help me get ready for the day."  

"You've had your morning beer.  I just figured that tea would be much better this morning after the night you had" he said, still not meeting her gaze.  

"Are you saying that I drink too much?"  She asked indignantly.  He paused to look up from his breakfast before answering.

"Yes" he said bluntly whilst holding her gaze.  Misato narrowed her eyes menacingly at the accusation and several seconds passed in silence as the two stared at each other.

"Humph, well who asked you anyway?" she muttered as she hesitantly raised the cup of tea to her lips and took a cautious sip.  It was actually pretty good, but the simple fact remained...it just wasn't beer.

"Actually you did" he stated casually lowering his eyes to his plate so that he could pick up his toast and take another bite.  Misato lowered her cup and opened her mouth to retort him when she suddenly realised that he was right and she had just made a fool of herself. 

"Leave me alone..." she groaned lamely knowing that she had just lost this discussion.  Shinji seemed satisfied with himself at finally winning an argument with Misato and paused to remember the moment.  The two finished the rest of their breakfast in silence and Shinji was pleased when Misato finished the tea he made her and didn't make a move to retrieve more beer.

"Is it true that you're coming to my school today?" he asked after minutes of silence.

"Yeah, it's your parent teacher interview and since I am your guardian it's my job to attend them."  Shinji frowned thoughtfully at the statement.  It should be his father that was attending, not Misato but he made it abundantly clear that he didn't care at all for Shinji.  Misato sensing his change of attitude decided to interrupt his train of thought.

"Relax kiddo.  Things will only get worse the more you dwell on them, _that you can take my word for."  Shinji considered her words carefully for a couple of seconds._

"Yeah, you're probably right" he sighed finally.  "Oh well I guess I should be off then."

"Yeah you better.  Have a good day at school Shinji" and with that he gathered his bag which he had already packed and made his lonely journey to school.

* * * * *

School was boring as usual.  Their teacher kicked off the lesson with his usual boring recollection of life up until second impact and then how much everything changed after the catastrophe.  Most of the class either fell asleep or let their minds wander as soon as the repetitive droning commenced and Shinji was no exception.  He set his mind to the previous night and all that had transpired rather then dwell on unpleasant thoughts, like his father, which had bugged him the whole way to school.  It sure seemed that everyone had enjoyed themselves and he held no delusions as to the teasing he was going to experience at lunch.  

Touji and Kensuke made no secret of their love for Misato and seeing the way in which she acted around Shinji was quite surprising to them.  Their jealousy was very obvious when she embraced him warmly and he knew that they would lecture him on how lucky he was every chance they had.  More troubling however was when Maya granted him a farewell peck on the cheek.  Shinji had never before been kissed by a girl, let alone a very attractive woman whom he worked with.  He'd be blatantly lying to himself if he said that he didn't enjoy it but just what did it mean?  Once the initial shock wore off he saw a very disconcerting glint in his friend's eyes and knew what they were going to say the first chance they got...  Then there was the rumours Misato had drunkenly babbled about him and Rei...

Glancing around the room he noted that Ayanami was absent, not that he was surprised as she had told him the night before that she had tests.  What kind of tests was a mystery to him.  Her EVA was still a long way off being repaired and upgraded so it couldn't be anything requiring Unit 00.  A simple harmonics test wouldn't last all day and in any case there was one scheduled for this afternoon so it couldn't be that.  So just what the hell would require her to be at headquarters all day?  This was yet another facet of the enigma that was Rei Ayanami, a puzzle that Shinji only had very few pieces for and no idea where to put them.  

After an eternity of the teachers disconnected lecture the lunch time bell finally rang and Shinji sighed, though not so much in relief as defeat.  He slowly packed up all his things and as sure as the sun still shined his two best friends quickly made their way over to his desk and looked at him in anticipation.  

"Hey guys, did you have a good time last night?" Shinji asked whilst extracting his lunch from his bag and rising to his feet.  The duo remained on their feet with their arms crossed over their chests and their heads cocked to one side.

"Apparently not as much as you" offered Kensuke with a playful gleam in his eyes and one eyebrow raised higher than the other.

"Err...umm...what do you mean?" Shinji asked innocently, his eyes darting back and forth trying to find an escape route.

"I think you know what we mean Mr bigshot.  Or should we call you Casanova Ikari?" Touji said with both his eyebrows raised.

"Heh...oh that...uh...it...it isn't what you think..." Shinji mumbled lamely as he tried to sidestep the two boys who were blocking his exit.  The two simply mirrored his movements and Shinji paled with the realisation that he had no escape.

"Then exactly what was it?" they asked in unison.  Shinji took a step back as they leaned towards him but still he couldn't seem to avoid the two persistent youths.

"It was just a...a friendly goodbye..." he offered hopefully but knowing that they wouldn't accept it as a legitimate answer.

"Like hell Ikari, you were kissed by a gorgeous older woman!" yelled Kensuke loud enough for the other students still in the room to hear.  The room quickly became deathly silent as everyone wanted to hear the rest of the story.

"Sure she may not be Misato but she was still something" Touji thought out loud.  Shinji for his part blushed like he had never blushed before and if it was physically possible to pass out from the amount of blood that flooded to his cheeks then he would have.  He stuttered incoherently for almost half a minute before Touji held his hand up to silence him.

"All right Mr Bigshot, you're gonna come clean and tell us everything!"

"Yeah, how long have you and that NERV chick...what was her name again?"

"M-Maya" Shinji informed without thinking.

"Yeah that's it!  How long have you and Maya been seeing each other?" asked Kensuke eagerly.  Shinji shrank before the determined inquisition and for the first time he noticed the camera in Kensuke's hand and paled.

"It's...it's n-not like that!  We...we just work together and...and she was just being kind...that's all!"  Things were getting worse by the minute and more people had entered the room to listen into the conversation.  Shinji wished that he could just shrink away and disappear.  Sure he may be an EVA pilot who had faced and defeated three angels, two of them by himself but never before had he been forced to face this.  He found himself wishing for the angel alarm to sound but unsurprisingly his wish went ungranted.

"Suuuuuuure Ikari.  You can't fool us.  So have you two...you know, done anything else yet?" Touji asked with a twisted grin as he leaned even closer to Shinji whose face was expressing his dread and embarrassment for all to see.

"Yeah, and what about Ayanami.  What does she think about it?"  Several shocked gasps were heard by the bystanders at this latest question.  

"Ayanami?  What...what do you mean?" he asked though he knew full well what was going to be said.

"Misato told us how she interrupted you and Ayanami before you could do anything...inappropriate" Kensuke said with a wink.  Hushed whispers quickly began circulating around the room and before the end of the day everyone would no doubt think that Shinji and Rei were involved.  Though going out with Ayanami couldn't be a bad thing, this was just more attention he didn't need.

"Look I told you...there's nothing going on between me and Maya...or me and Ayanami...we're just friends...that's all I swear!" he pleaded desperately.  The naked desperation in his eyes was enough to halt any further questions from his friends and for the first time they noticed the throng of eavesdroppers who crowded the room.  Both looked at each other uneasily before turning away from Shinji.

"Hey what the hell is wrong with you people?" Touji yelled at the assembled children.  "Get the hell outa here before I forcefully remove every last one of you!" he growled whilst brandishing his fist for all to see.  The reaction was immediate.  In record time the classroom was empty save for the three friends as none doubted Touji's threat.  Shinji sighed in relief and collapsed into a vacant chair and closed his eyes.

"Err...sorry Shinji...I didn't realise that there were all those people there..." Touji muttered as he stared at his feet.  Kensuke just shifted his weight from one leg to the other uneasily and he quietly agreed with Touji.

"It's fine" Shinji sighed after a long moment of silence.  "Let's just go and eat our lunch eh?"  The damage was done and it just wasn't in Shinji's character to hold grudges against people...especially his two best friends.  The only exception to this rule would be his father of course.

"Lunch!  What a great idea!" Touji yelled with heart felt excitement.  Turning about he quickly left the room telling the other two that he'd meet them on the roof after he bought his lunch from the cafeteria.

* * * * *

Deep down in the bowels of the Geofront in a part of Central Dogma which only a handful of people knew about stood two figures.  One was enclosed in a clear glass tube which was filled to the brim with an orange liquid easily identifiable as LCL.  The occupant seemed completely content with her current situation and had her eyes closed in concentration so that she could complete the test efficiently.  The other figure stood with his hands clasped behind his back and a blank expression on his face as he studied the smaller figure before him.

The room they were in was quite large and poorly lit.  The walls could not be seen through the veil of darkness and the only illumination seemed to come from the tube itself.  This fact didn't seem to bother either occupant.  

"How are you Rei?" the man asked in an emotionless baritone voice.  Rei Ayanami opened her eyes to look at the Commander of NERV before responding in her own emotionless though somewhat softer voice.

"There are no problems."

"I understand you were at the Katsuragi apartment last night.  Tell me, how is the third child?" he asked, his voice and features still betraying no emotion whatsoever.

"The third child seemed slightly more subdued than normal but apart from that he seems the same as he was when he arrived."

"I see.  And how did the others react towards him?"  Rei hesitated for only a fraction of a second before responding.

"Everyone present seemed genuinely concerned for his well being."  Since he asked how they reacted towards Shinji and not his imprisonment Rei decided that it was not necessary to recount the numerous derogatory comments made towards her Commander.  She had always thought of Commander Ikari as somewhat of a father to her though recent events had made her question her degree of loyalty.  She wouldn't go against him but she found herself questioning his actions...an act she wouldn't have dreamed of committing before she met the third child.

_Interesting.  It seems that the third child has become quite popular amongst the command staff.  This will have to be monitored carefully lest it interfere with the scenario_ he thought to himself after hearing the words from the young girl before him.  The two stared at each other blankly for several more minutes before Gendo moved his hands to his sides and relaxed imperceptibly.

"The experiment is over now.  You should rest before your harmonics test this afternoon."

"Yes sir" and with that the orange liquid was drained from the tube and Ikari handed her a towel so that she could dry herself off before dressing.  There wasn't much point in showering since she would be submerged in LCL in a short time anyway, so she dressed and followed the Commander out of the secret chamber.

* * * * *

Later that afternoon back across town at the Tokyo III Municipal High School the third child again found himself the topic of discussion; though this time he was well aware of the fact. Since returning from lunch he found his laptop inundated with messages about the conversation at lunch and he immediately found himself blushing again.  He had just managed to push those thoughts aside before returning from lunch and now things were getting even worse than they were.  He had been expecting something bad to happen today since he woke up but this was beyond his worst case scenario.

He replied to the first few messages but more and more kept coming his way and in an act of final frustration and defeat he shut off his computer and lowered his head to the desk, a state which he planned to remain in until the final bell rang.  Some time later the sound of a roaring engine followed quickly by a deafening screech of tyres was heard outside the window as a car flew at breakneck speed through the sparsely populated visitor's car park and executed an impressive 180° handbrake skid, sliding perfectly into one of the empty spaces.  Shinji raised his head at the sound but knew that there could only be one person who would drive that recklessly.

Every single boy in the class leapt from their seat (following Touji and Kensuke's lead of course) and amassed at the window to witness the spectacle.

"She really came!" yelled Touji in unbridled joy as he stuck his head out the window and was unable to contain the smile that spread across his face.  Kensuke's camera materialised in his hand and was already centred on the now stationary vehicle before the others managed to crowd around.  The car door opened and Misato Katsuragi stepped out before closing the door and locking the vehicle.  A barrage of wolf whistles and adoring sighs were directed her way and she looked up at class 2-A, raising her hand and giving the love-struck boys a victory sign and a blinding smile which they all returned instantly.

"She is soooooooo gorgeous" said one boy in awe and all the others nodded their heads in agreement.

"So _she's_ Ikari's guardian?"

"How did he score a babe like that?"

"Are the rumours true?"  Whilst every boy with the exception of Shinji was gathered at the window watching the Operations Director of NERV walk towards the office, the girls were all still seated sending hard glares towards the gathering and muttering about how immature boys were.  Shinji sighed at their antics and couldn't be bothered getting up just yet.  He packed his things away silently and felt a presence beside him.  Glancing over he was greeted by the pretty face of Ayumi, one of his fellow classmates and a good friend of Hikari.

"At least there's one guy in this school who has his hormones under control" she said with a half smile.  Shinji smiled shyly back before lowering his gaze.

"Unless you believe all the rumours that are no doubt circulating" he muttered almost under his breath.  She put a hand on his shoulder and he involuntarily flinched as he wasn't expecting the contact.

"Not everyone is gullible enough to believe in rumours.  Besides, judging by the fact that you're the only one who isn't drooling at the window I think it's safe to assume that there isn't much truth to them."  Shinji considered her words before turning back to look at her.  She was definitely quite pretty with emerald eyes and long brown hair pulled back into a single braid popular of many girls at the school.  Her small frame was matched by her height which would have been a couple of inches shorter than Shinji and her face seemed to be relaxed into a perpetual smile.  Shinji found himself smiling back at her and relaxed under her touch.

"Well I've been living with Misato since I moved here so I guess I'm just used to her now" he offered with a shrug.  The bell rang soon after his statement and the teacher was finally jolted out of his ramblings.  How he remained oblivious to everything that happened in the room when he was giving one of his lectures was a mystery and the only thing that seemed to interrupt him was the bell.  Hikari, after much yelling managed to regain control of the situation and she sent Touji a dark glare which he shrank away from before dismissing the class.

Everyone filed out of the classroom and Shinji said his farewells as he left for the Geofront for the scheduled harmonics test.  He could have waited around for Misato to finish the interview and take him but he decided against it as that would mean receiving more attention from his inquisitive classmates.  Besides, Touji and Kensuke would relish the chance to wait around and tell her that he had already left.  He'd had far too much attention today, especially of the negative type and he really needed some time to himself to clear his mind before the test.  With the decision made he slowly made his way to the nearest entry point and down into the secret base of NERV Central.

* * * * *

Deep down in the heavily fortified base two giant monstrosities stood rigidly across from each other with several thousand tonnes of reinforced high grade metal holding them against a wall thicker than most nuclear bunkers.  To an untrained observer the massive restraints looked like overkill, but to anyone who had ever seen an EVA in action it was still not enough for peace of mind.  The two massive killing machines faced each other and seemed to glare at each other dispassionately.  The demonic visage of the horned Unit 01 seemed to be frowning at its cyclopean counterpart whilst the debilitated mono-eyed monster appeared to be glaring maliciously at the purple engine of destruction.

Maybe it was just Maya's imagination but she could have sworn that they were trying to kill each other with intense gazes.  She shivered at the thought before turning back to her portable terminal and scanning through the data.  Unit 01 was fully repaired and was just awaiting the moment when it was called forth to do righteous battle once again but Unit 00 was quite the opposite.  Ritsuko's estimate of at least a months worth of hard work was looking very accurate as Maya scanned over the upgrades that they were going to perform in order to get the prototype more on par with the test type's abilities.  She was so engrossed in the information on her screen that she didn't notice the person approaching her.

"Are you ready?" inquired a voice from behind her.  Confused, the young technician turned around to see her superior and mentor standing behind her waiting patiently.  Maya looked at her curiously and Ritsuko tapped her watch getting the desired result.  Maya checked her own timepiece and her eyes widened with realisation.

"Sorry ma'am.  I must have lost track of time" she said sheepishly before turning around and shutting down the terminal.

"There's no rush Maya.  Rei won't mind and Shinji's too polite to complain if we start the test a couple of minutes late."

"Right, uh...I'll just be a minute" she said whilst waiting impatiently for the terminal to go blank signifying that it was no longer active.  Ritsuko shifted her weight distractedly as she thought about how best to ask the question on her mind.

"Uh Maya..." she started and her protégé turned around and raised an eyebrow at the indecision she saw in her mentor's normally confident gaze.

"Is...is something wrong ma'am?"

"Uh about last night...I didn't do anything...embarrassing did I?" she asked shyly.  Maya was taken back.  She had never before seen Ritsuko so embarrassed.  She always projected an aura of confidence and seemed to be in control 100% of the time, seeing her like this was a shock to Maya.  _So she is human after all..._

"Not at all Dr Akagi.  You had a fair bit to drink but aside from having Aoba carry you to the car there was nothing really you should be worried about."  The older woman visibly relaxed at the statement.

"Well that's good to hear.  I guess I enjoyed myself a little too much."  Maya smiled as she remembered the evening.

"There's nothing wrong with that, everyone needs to relax and let loose every now and then.  Even you."   Ritsuko considered the comment in silence for a moment before nodding her head slowly.

"Yeah, I guess you're right.  It's just a shame that we never seem to have time for such indulgences" she sighed regretfully.

"We can always make time every once in a while" Maya said hopefully.

"Humph, like the Commander would allow something like that.  I had a good night I must say and I'm glad that you were there to stop me from embarrassing myself."  Maya smiled warmly at the statement.

"Yeah, I had a good time too.  Even Shinji seemed to enjoy himself and since that was the reason for the party we can't call it a waste of time can we?"

"You're right."  A moment of silence prevailed as the two were both lost in their thoughts of the said evening.

"Well we better be off.  I want to run an extra test on Shinji so we should get started now so that we won't be here all night" Ritsuko said finally.

"Yes ma'am."

* * * * *

Several minutes later in the Pribnow box.

"Hmmm...it's as I suspected..." Ritsuko said mostly to herself as a frown etched its way across her face.  She was standing behind Maya with a clipboard in her hands and reading the data from the young techs terminal.

"Is there a problem?" asked Misato as she approached her oldest friend and made to look at the data herself.

"Shinji's synch ratio is down 2 points.  It's been rising at a phenomenal rate ever since he first hopped in Unit 01 but after what he went through after the last battle it seems that he is slipping."

"I'm not surprised" growled Misato with a hard edge to her words.  "He's a fragile boy, what the Commander did to him was completely inappropriate and it was always going to do some damage."  Her frown twisted into a mask of anger as she pictured the Commander of NERV berating Shinji and ordering his incarceration.  She clenched her fists tightly at her side in an effort to calm herself but the action failed and she felt herself growing even angrier instead until she looked at the monitor displaying Shinji's relaxed form in the entry plug.  Somehow seeing him calmed her down and after a couple a deep breaths she managed to get herself under control again.

"Shinji, you're slipping.  I need you to concentrate harder" ordered Ritsuko.

"Yes ma'am" he said monotonously.  _If only it were that simple..._ he thought bitterly.  Purging one's mind of all thoughts was quite a difficult thing to do at the best of times but at the moment it was nigh on impossible for the young warrior.  Images of his father kept tormenting him along with his harsh comments.  After half an hour with no change Ritsuko sighed and ordered the end of the tests.

"Alright you two we're finished.  Rei you may go but Shinji I want you to head to the cage.  I'd like to perform one more test with you in Unit 01."  The request surprised Misato who turned to look at her friend curiously.  Shinji confirmed her request and after he was released from the plug he headed straight to the EVA cages and Unit 01.

"What are you doing?"

"I just want to test Shinji in Unit 01 to see if his synch ratio is the same as in this test.  Call it a hunch but there's something about Unit 01 and Shinji, and I'd like to find out why they can do the things they do."  Misato just nodded her head.  She too was curious about the strange events that Shinji and the test type were constantly at the centre of and every little test would help to shed some light on the matter.

* * * * *

Shinji sat in the command seat of the entry plug and watched impassively as it was filled with LCL.  He was used to the warm liquid now and exhaled as the level rose above his head and completely filled the large entry plug.  He continued to wait patiently as the first and second stage connections were made.  A myriad of flashing lights erupted throughout the plug and his A-10 neural connectors finally linked him with the EVA as the third stage was achieved.  His view instantly changed from the enclosed cylinder to that which Unit 01 could see and he felt the familiar warm presence of being connected to the EVA.

_This must be what it feels like to be in the womb_. The thought surprised him and yet it seemed to fit quite accurately.  He didn't have long to ponder this revelation before Dr Akagi's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"O.k. Shinji, just try and concentrate.  You'll be out of here in no time" she said reassuringly.  

"Yes ma'am" he replied and closed his eyes to concentrate on clearing his mind.  The images appeared almost instantly.  His father telling him to leave, his father telling him he was incompetent, his father abandoning him as a young child...  Shinji frowned in concentration as he tried to purge the images from his mind with no success.  

"Hmmm...it's the same as in the test plug.  We'll give him another 10 minutes and if there's no change then we'll let him go."

Shinji was about to growl in frustration at the repetitive images cycling through his mind before they suddenly vanished.  He opened his eyes in surprise but saw everything as it should be.  Not being one to look a gift horse in the mouth, he closed his eyes again to focus on synchronising and was relieved to find his mind cleared of the hated images.

"Ma'am?  His synch rate is climbing.  It's now 3 points above his last recorded rate during the battle with the 5th angel" Maya said over her shoulder.  Ritsuko and Misato both leaned in closer to study the results for themselves.

"Interesting" Ritsuko said in her scientific tone of voice.  

"But what does it mean?  Is he more relaxed in the EVA or is it the EVA itself?" Misato asked no one in particular.

"I don't know, but this is interesting data.  We'll keep him in there for a little longer to see if he can maintain this level."

Another 10 minutes passed in silence for Shinji and he was feeling more relaxed than he had all week.  For some unfathomable reason his mind wandered to the scene he witnessed at the park the day before.  The two children running around chasing each other whilst their parents watched on with happy, loving expressions.  _An expression that's never been directed at me...he thought with a mental sigh.  _

The scene changed slightly all of a sudden and he now found himself looking at a different pair of kids playing together.  They couldn't have been older than four years of age, or so Shinji thought.  There was a brown haired boy with vivid blue eyes and he was running for his life by the look of him, from his companion, a young girl with a serious expression on her face.  She was very cute with her long mane of flame red hair tied back into a ponytail and piercing blue eyes narrowed in determination as she chased the boy.  Shinji couldn't help but smile as they ran through a large park and he could just make out two figures sitting on a distant bench.  They were definitely female, one with blazing red hair much like the young girls and other with shoulder length brown hair.  They seemed to be engaged in a conversation of some sort whilst they watched the children play but they were too far away to hear so he decided to focus his attention back on the youngsters.

"Ma'am?  Shinji's synch ratio is climbing again.  It just jumped up another 7 points..." Maya reported in confusion.

"It what?" asked Ritsuko in shock.  Misato turned to look at the image of Shinji and was surprised to see that he was smiling serenely and looking much more relaxed.

"What's going on here?" she wondered out loud.

The girl in Shinji's memory was slowly catching the boy and she was just about to grab him when he suddenly changed directions with a surprising display of agility for one so young and managed to put some more distance between himself and his pursuer.  A look of anger seemed to cross the young girls face at missing her chance to ensnare her quarry and she redoubled her efforts to catch him.

"Come back here Shinji!" she screamed before diving forward and tackling the youngster to the ground.  Shinji sat bolt upright in his seat and his eyes flew open at what he had just witnessed.  His heart was pounding like a jackhammer and he took in rapid shallow breaths as he tried to figure out if he just heard what he thought he heard.  _Come back here Shinji?  Was that me?  Was that my memory?_  Though his eyes were open he wasn't seeing anything in front of him.  His attention was focussed on the strange event which had transpired in his mind.  _Couldn't be..._

"My God!  His synch ratio just jumped another 15 points!" Maya whispered in awe.  Misato was still watching the screen showing Shinji and gasped as he suddenly jerked upright from his slouched position and his eyes flew open in shock.

"Shinji!" she yelled, instantly afraid that something had gone wrong.

"M-Misato?" he mumbled, surprised at hearing her outburst.

"Are you alright?" she asked with concern written all over her face.  He blinked a couple of times and looked around the plug which still displayed a view from Unit 01s vantage point.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine.  I just...I don't know" he said obviously confused by whatever happened.

"Shinji, what just happened?" asked Ritsuko with great interest.  He took a couple of moments to organise his thoughts before he just shrugged his shoulders at the chairperson of E project.

"I don't know."  

"Ma'am?  His synch ratio has returned to its previous level of just before it spiked."

"This just gets stranger by the minute" mumbled Misato.

"Alright, that was unexpected...Let's give him another twenty minutes.  I want to know if this will happen again."

Twenty minutes passed by quickly for Shinji as he found himself analysing the strange occurrence.  He had no memories of before he was abandoned by his father and he hadn't had a single friend before he moved to Tokyo III.  He sure as hell didn't' have any red-headed girlfriends anywhere along the line so the only logical conclusion was that it wasn't his memory.  Sighing in disappointment he cleared the memory from his mind and focussed on the EVA once again in order to finish this test and have a nice shower.

_This memory is yours my dear though you obviously don't remember.  Do not doubt yourself.  The past is not entirely painful._  Shinji's breath caught in his throat as the unannounced voice projected itself in his mind.  _That's the same voice I heard during the last battle!  He realised suddenly.  He felt the familiar peace and warmth that he felt when he last heard the voice and he could have sworn he heard a soft feminine chuckle at his realisation.  __I know that voice but...  The answer was on the edge of his consciousness and he felt that he was just about to grasp it when a different voice shattered his reverie._

"Alright Shinji, that'll do for today.  You can shutdown Unit 01 now."  Shinji cursed mentally as he was certain that he was just about to identify the voice.  Clenching and unclenching his fist in frustration he took several deep breaths of LCL before he nodded his head and terminated his link with the EVA.  So close... he thought, exasperated at being denied this revelation.  _Things sure are getting strange and with that the entry plug was ejected and he was brought back out into the real world where he desperately needed some time to think._

* * * * *

After the test three people were gathered in the large, dark office of Gendo Ikari.  Ikari himself was seated behind his desk with a neutral expression on his face and his fingers interlinked just under his nose in the standard 'Gendo position.'  Fuyutsuki stood impassively behind the supreme Commander with his hands clasped behind his back and his face betraying no thoughts or emotions.  Dr Akagi, the third person in the room stood just before the desk with a folder in her hands and a thoughtful expression on her face.

"What have you to report?" asked Ikari impatiently.

"The first child has maintained her synch ratio and there doesn't seem to be any signs of residual mental contamination.  The third child's synch ratio however dropped two points from the last recorded value."

"I see.  Do you foresee this to be a continuing problem?"

"Well...no sir.  I took the liberty of running another test with the third child after the harmonics test, this time in Unit 01.  The results were...interesting."

"Explain."

"Well, his synch ratio remained the same as in the test plug for the first 10 minutes but then it rose 5 points and remained slightly above the last recorded value for most of the test."

"You said most of the test, there were other changes?" asked Fuyutsuki, speaking for the first time.

"Yes sir.  At two other points his synch ratio jumped.  The first increase was 7 points and the second was 15.  Neither value remained for long and he quickly settled back down to the previous level."

"Interesting.  To what do you attribute this irregularity?" Gendo asked, his interest piqued.

"I am uncertain sir."  The three remained in silence for a good 20 seconds whilst they each pondered the strange readings.

"This will have to be monitored closely."

"Yes sir."

"Is everything set for the event?" Ikari asked, changing subjects.

"I believe so sir" Ritsuko replied, fully aware of the event he was referring to.

"Good, then I expect only good news.  You are dismissed."

"Yes sir."  Ritsuko left the room quickly after depositing the folders on the desk.  Neither of the two men moved from their positions.

"Do you think that she could be behind these strange readings?" asked Fuyutsuki after a moment of silence.  Gendo remained as still as a statue.

"It seems the most likely answer" he said evenly.

"But why now?  Has she become aware?" the older man asked with slight apprehension.

"It's possible, but unlikely."

"Afraid you'll have to rewrite your scenario Ikari?" Fuyutsuki asked with a hint of amusement.

"Not at all.  Everything has been taken into account."

* * * * *

Shinji knew that something was wrong the moment Misato's door slid open.  Instead of the normal groaning and mumbling which accompanied her trip across the kitchen for her morning beer there was only dead silence.  Looking up from his breakfast Shinji's jaw fell open and the hand raising a cup to his lips froze.  On the floor beside him a similar reaction could be observed by the resident penguin as his mind failed to comprehend the scene before him.  Misato stood resolutely before her two roommates dressed impeccably in her full dress uniform and a decidedly awake expression.

"Good morning" she said in a dull monotone.

"G-g-g-good...good morning M-Misato" Shinji stuttered still in shock at witnessing this unprecedented occurrence.  Misato for her part walked casually across the room to gather the few things she would need for her trip.

"I have to go out of town on business and probably won't be home till late.  There's money on the counter for you to get something for dinner.  Bye" she continued in the same dull tone.  Shinji could only nod his head slowly as she strolled out the door.  A full minute passed before either roommate so much as blinked.  In unison they turned to look at each other with the same shocked expressions.  Seeing not even a trace of understanding in the others bewildered gaze they both set about finishing their breakfast in silence.  

Several days had passed since the party and much to Shinji's relief most of the teasing he had been receiving at school had died down.  The last few days had been awkward for him as he wanted to talk to Ayanami again but couldn't do so without receiving another barrage of teasing.  Now that things seemed to have quieted down he decided that he could talk to her at lunch without too much threat of others intervention.  Fate it seems has a strange sense of humour since just as he had reached his decision his cellular phone began to ring, its loud tone startling him and most of the others in the class.

"Uh...hello, Shinji Ikari speaking."

"Shinji?  It's Hyuga.  You're needed at headquarters A.S.A.P.  There's a car already on the way to pick you up so be ready out the front for them."  A cold dread began to permeate his being as there could only be one reason that he would be summoned to headquarters like this wasn't there?

"Is...is it an...angel?" he whispered apprehensively.

"No, but it's just as urgent.  You'll be briefed when you get here." 

"What about Ayanami?"

"Uh Misato only asked for you."

"I see..." and with that the phone went dead.  Shinji breathed a sigh of relief and quickly packed up his gear, oblivious to the fearful looks he was receiving.  He finally looked up once he had finished and found the gaze of every student upon him.  

"Uh...don't worry it's...it's not an angel" he informed them before turning to look at Ayanami.  She looked at him questioningly and he shook his head at her unasked question.  Nodding once in understanding she returned her gaze out of the window, just as curious as Shinji as to what the emergency was.  Shinji quickly made his way to the door.  A collective sigh could be heard for the rest of the class and his teacher just nodded to him as he departed.  _If it's not an angel then what the hell am I needed for?  And why didn't they ask for Ayanami as well?  The answer was not quite what he had expected..._

* * * * *

In record time Unit 01 was outfitted with the F type equipment and catapulted to the surface where it was loaded and secured on the largest plane Shinji had ever seen.  Using a phenomenal amount of runway the EVA transporter finally managed to lift its enormous bulk off the tarmac and they were soon soaring low over the ground towards the former capitol.  The situation had been explained to Shinji whilst the EVA was being prepared...and he didn't like it one bit.

"That's crazy!" he protested as Misato informed him of her plan.  Dressed in a hostile environment suit, Misato just looked at him with a half smile.  

"Yeah well we don't have much choice in the matter.  If we don't stop that thing then its reactor is going to redline and a lot of people are going to die when it melts down."

"I know that but there's got to be a better way!  This is too dangerous!" he begged.

"Unit 01 will be fine, its armour can survive the blast and the F type equipment can deal with the radiation..."

"Not for EVA, for you!" he interrupted with a worried expression firmly planted on his face.  Misato smiled sadly at him and ran a hand through his hair.

"As long as you get me on that thing then everything will be o.k.  I have the password to delete all programming and once that's done it'll shut down" she said reassuringly.  Shinji continued to look at her as if it were the last time he would ever see her again.  Misato again tried to comfort him.

"Look Shinji everything will work out fine.  Unit 01 can easily catch up to it and as long as you hold it still I can disable it.  There's not that much risk.  It won't be fighting back or anything so please just trust me."

"It's almost time Misato" Hyuga informed from the front of the small compartment.

"Please, be careful" Shinji whispered and Misato pulled him into a hug which was quite awkward considering the suit she was wearing.

"I will.  Hyuga?"

"Yes ma'am?"

"As soon as you've dropped Unit 01 take this thing up to a safe height and await further orders."

"Yes ma'am."

"Come on Shinji.  We can do this."

"I hope you're right" he replied with some trepidation.

* * * * *

After Unit 01s entry plug was inserted the external power socket was ejected and the EVA slid back on the launch rails in preparation for its drop.  Hyuga counted down from 5 and on zero the massive restraints holding the flightless EVA to the aircraft retracted and Unit 01 glided backwards before plummeting towards the ground.  The EVA fell from the sky like a comet and it took mere seconds for it to achieve terminal velocity.  

Reacting like he had in training, Shinji adjusted his position so that the massive legs of Unit 01 were facing the ground and he spread them marginally in order to better balance once he impacted.  The jarring impact of the multi kilo tonne war machine hitting the ground could be felt for miles around.  Shinji grunted as pain shot up through his legs but his focus remained on keeping the EVA upright and balanced until it ground to a halt.  Sliding for several hundred metres Shinji skilfully balanced his steed and checked to make sure he hadn't crushed Misato who was riding precariously in Unit 01s right hand, before taking off at a sprint to where he could see the Jet Alone robot in the distance.

Though it had picked up some speed since it went rogue, the ponderous robot was no match for the speed and grace of Unit 01.  Shinji quickly covered the distance between the two and reached out with his left hand to grab the conveniently placed handle on the back of the robot when the unforseen occurred.  The Jet Alone abruptly pivoted to its left and dug in its foot to arrest its momentum before spinning around rapidly to face Unit 01.  Shinji had no time to react before he felt a jarring impact between his shoulder blades and Unit 01 was propelled forward.  The ground rushed up to meet the now horizontal EVA and fortunately Shinji had enough presence of mind to throw his arms out above his head and take the impact on his chest, rather than crush Misato underneath the bulk of his EVA.

The force of the impact combined with the considerable speed he was running at made for a slide of several hundred metres on the hard ground.  Shinji winced as he felt the burning sensation of friction all the way up his stomach, chest and face, and groaned in relief when he finally came to a halt.  Eyes widening in fear he quickly checked his right hand and let out the breath he was holding as he noticed Misato still alive although quite clearly shaken.

"Misato are you o.k?" He asked desperately.  The older woman took in several deep breaths before facing Unit 01s face and giving Shinji a thumbs up.  Her arm fell away almost instantly and her face contorted in fear when she saw the shadow looming behind the fallen EVA.

"Shinji get up!" she screamed over the suits communication system and Shinji's eyes widened in realisation at the predicament he was in.  Leaning heavily on his left arm he managed to get the massive EVA to a kneeling position before the familiar shape of the rogue nuclear powered robot stood before him.  Shinji moved his right arm behind his back protectively and found himself at a serious disadvantage in close combat.  As if to demonstrate its superiority the Jet Alone reached forward and wrapped its right hand around Unit 01s left wrist whilst its left hand grasped the purple EVAs throat in a death grip.  Hauling the EVA to its feet with unnatural strength, the mindless robot then proceeded to pull in opposite directions with its massive arms.  Shinji found himself in a terrifyingly familiar position as his left arm was being bent at a most unnatural angle and his head turned as far as the neck would allow.  He would have screamed in pain if his breath wasn't stolen by the chokehold the larger robot had over him.  The pain continued to intensify as even more pressure was applied by the Jet Alone and Shinji knew that neither he nor Unit 01 could take much more of this punishment.

Misato could only watch on in horror from her vantage point as the Jet Alone performed an identical attack on Shinji as did the 3rd Angel months ago.  The fingers of Unit 01s left hand began to spasm as armour plates were crumpled in the vice like grip and finger shaped indents could clearly be seen on the bright orange neck armour.  Unit 01 was now fully off the ground, suspended in the air by the sheer strength of the unmanned enemy before it.

Reacting in desperation, Shinji lashed out with a forceful kick aimed at the robots thigh.  The impact left a large dent in the massively armoured leg but the pressure on Unit 01 didn't decrease in the slightest.  Shinji swung again and again ramming his massive foot into the same point and just as his world was turning black the Jet Alone hurled his EVA to the side and sent it sliding on the ground for a couple of hundred metres.  Gasping desperately for air Shinji could do nothing for the next few moments and without hesitation the Jet Alone moved to follow up its initial assault.  Like a street brawler the machine kicked savagely at Unit 01, catching it in the stomach and causing it to slide further away. 

Shinji groaned in pain and out of the corner of his eye he saw the timer displaying 04:11:16 minutes of power remaining.  Struggling to regain his feet he was pounded by another kick and found himself rolling over from the impact.  Cursing the relentless machine, he finally saw the opportunity he needed and struck out with a wide leg sweep which knocked the Jet Alone heavily to the ground.  Wasting no time Shinji tenderly brought Unit 01 to its feet but to his dismay he saw his opponent do the same.  Normally the EVA would have leaped to its feet far quicker than its ponderous opponent but Shinji was still feeling the effects of the ruthless assault he had suffered from mere seconds ago and was not at his best.  

He could hear ragged and strained breathing over the communications link and gasped in horror as he realised that it could only be one person.  Back peddling in order to buy some time he brought Unit 01s right hand up before him and saw Misato still clutched in its fingers.  By some miracle she hadn't been completely crushed when the EVA was forcefully rolled but she had been uncomfortably close to that grisly fate.  Shinji's lower lip trembled at the brush with death his guardian went through and he knew that he couldn't continue on like this, not if he wanted to keep Misato alive.  His options however were extremely limited as was his time.  The Jet Alone limped over towards him, the near crippling dent it its left thigh clearly visible and Shinji continued to back peddle so that both he and Misato had more time to recover.

"Shinji..." she gasped weakly from her position in Unit 01s hand.  "Shinji...you've got to...to put me down.  You can't fight...with me...here."

"No!" he screamed in horror at her order.  "It's too dangerous to put you down and besides it's still gonna melt down if we don't stop it soon!" 

"Shinji...this wasn't supposed to...to be like this.  Something has...gone wrong."  The Jet Alone had finally closed the distance between the two giants and was again reaching out to grab Unit 01 when Shinji suddenly had an idea.  He cursed himself for not thinking of it earlier as he brought Unit 01 to a halt and unfolded his AT field.  The air shimmered around the stationary EVA as the field unfolded and a fraction of a second later the massive robot slammed into the orange field and was knocked back a step from the unexpected resistance.

"Try and get me now you bastard!" he yelled at the oblivious prototype.  Taking shallow breaths due to the intense pain in her chest, Misato silently praised Shinji's move and started to weigh up her options.  Whilst the AT field made it impossible for the Jet Alone to get near Unit 01 it also made it impossible for Unit 01 to get closer to it.  She needed desperately to get onboard the rogue machine but time it seemed was running out rapidly.  One thing was certain though.  As long as she remained in her current position Shinji would be unable to fight the robot effectively.  Perhaps it was time to come up with plan B...

Shinji narrowed his eyes as his enemy reached forward with both hands and attempted to thrust them through his AT Field.  Failing that, the mindless machine backed up some distance before barrelling towards Unit 01 in a lumbering shoulder charge.  Shinji didn't bother to move as the larger machine crashed into the AT Field with terrible force and was hurled backwards by the inertia of the impact.  Unit 01 didn't even flinch.  

"Misato.  What do I do?" he asked desperately as the timer ticked down to 02:53:66.  A geyser of steam suddenly erupted from the chest of the Jet Alone and both Shinji and Misato knew what that meant...they were running out of time.  

"Shinji...I think it's too late.  We...we won't be able to stop the...Jet Alone.  We can't get me inside...whilst it fights back" she uttered through clenched teeth.

"I can...I can immobilise it.  With the progressive knife" he suggested eagerly, trying to ignore the pain she was obviously in.

"No, with only one arm it still...still has the advantage...and might turn the...knife against you.  We've got to...to get it away from here.  You remember that lake we...passed just before you dropped?"  Shinji strained his mind to recall the landmark and nodded rapidly once he pictured it.  

"If we can get the Jet Alone there...and force it to the bottom of the lake then...we can minimise the blast when its reactor goes...critical."

"And I can use my AT Field to help contain it as well" he added, excited at finally having a new plan of action.

"Exactly.  So you've got to...put me down and drag that thing over...to the lake."  Shinji's smile fell at her words.

"No!" he begged desperately.

"We don't have time Shinji...it's the only way" she said in her Operations Director voice, or at least as best as she could manage with the amount of pain she was in.  Shinji closed his eyes in concentration.

"No Misato, there's another way.  You're coming in here with me."  Misato was startled at the authoritive tone he directed at her.  There was no hesitation in his voice and with time running out she just nodded in agreement.

"Hold on Misato" he said as he raised his right hand to the side of his head and allowed Misato to cling onto the end of the purple neck guard.  With his right hand free he flexed his fingers and waited as the Jet Alone again attempted to attack Unit 01.  Another geyser of steam erupted from its chest and several parts of its armour were beginning to glow red.  The Jet Alone lunged at Unit 01, again trying to grab hold of its wrist and neck but was thwarted by the AT Field.  As soon as it reeled from the impact Shinji lowered the field and made a lunge of his own, grasping the wrists of the overheating robot with his hands.  The two humanoid machines struggled mightily as one attempted to break free of the others grasp but Unit 01 seemed to hold its own...for now.  

Halting the EVA on its current commands Shinji ejected the entry plug and opened the manual access hatch.  Poking his head out he waved to Misato and she quickly dropped from her precarious position and using the armour plates for handholds, managed to slide her way down to the entry plug.  She secured the hatch once she was inside and Shinji triggered the plugs insertion.  Misato collapsed into unconsciousness as the pain from her recent exertion became too much for her to bear.

The instant Shinji resynched with his EVA he knew something was wrong.  The normally crisp link between man and biomachine was fuzzy and he felt a dull pain bouncing around his head.  He clenched his teeth against the pain and focused on the connection but everything felt...disconnected.  Much to his horror he felt the hostile robot begin to overpower his EVA and he suddenly wondered if he had made a critical mistake.  He remembered what Ritsuko said when Misato ordered him to pick up Touji and Kensuke during the battle with the 4th angel.  - _Thought noise.  Foreign bodies in the matrix. -  This did feel a little like the end of his battle with the 4th angel...only to a much greater degree.  _

The Jet Alone began to force Unit 01 backwards, step by ponderous step and it was all Shinji could do to maintain his balance.  Yet another geyser of steam pierced the thick armour near the reactor but still the machine just wouldn't relent.  The internal battery timer now read 01:17:43 but the Jet Alone would never survive that long.  Shinji attempted to pivot Unit 01 to the left and force his opponent the other way but the sluggish movements of Unit 01 made it quite difficult.  Concentrating like he had in the latter stages of his last engagement he managed to feebly pull off the manoeuvre and free himself from the wrestling match he had been engaged in.  Reacting quickly he willed his AT Field into existence in order to keep the other bipedal war machine off his back until he had a better feel for his EVA, but it didn't unfold.  Cursing violently he instead engaged the progressive knife and held it out defensively before him.  The Jet Alone didn't hesitate and attempted to swat the knife away but Shinji managed to angle the blade so that it sliced across the attacking limb of the Jet Alone, cutting through it with sickening ease.  

Feeling no pain the soulless machine lashed out with its good arm and smashed Unit 01 in the head, knocking it sprawling.  Through sheer force of will Shinji kept the EVA on its feet and flailed its arms out in a feeble attempt to ward off the next blow.  With brute strength the armoured fist of his attacker smashed past his pathetic defences and again Unit 01 was struck in the head but this time Shinji was unable to keep it on its feet.  Like a felled tree, the building sized construct toppled and bounced heavily off the ground before settling in a prone position.  _No!  It can't end like this! Shinji thought desperately and struggled mightily to right the fallen EVA._

The Jet Alone loomed above him menacingly but didn't press up its advantage.  Shinji watched on in amazement as its good arm started twitching and missed Unit 01 by a good three metres with its attempted grab.  _What the hell? wondered Shinji at the sudden change of attitude of his attacker.  Hesitating for only a second he leaned forward and jammed his progressive knife through the hip joint of his enemy.  His strike found its mark and in little more than a second the limb had been amputated with surgical precision.  The now crippled machine toppled to the ground like a K.O.ed boxer, the impact tearing a large section of superheated armour off its side.  With less than a minute left on the battery clock Shinji amputated the other leg before awkwardly willing Unit 01 to its feet.  Dropping the knife he used both hands to heave the paraplegic time bomb above his head and stumble as fast as he could manage towards the designated lake._

He was a long way from the lake though and the sight of Unit 01 hefting a legless Robot over its head whilst staggering in a drunken manner would have looked hilarious were the situation not so grim.  Seconds continued to tick away and Shinji drew slowly but inexorably closer to his objective.  He could feel the heat of the near critical reactor through what was left of its dorsal armour and it seemed to get hotter by the second.  The timer passed 00:30:00 and Shinji struggled for all he was worth to increase his pace.  He was getting somewhat used to the sluggish movements now and managed to move marginally faster but the lake seemed like a mirage that kept receding.  Looking around desperately for other options he was dismayed to find none and in a final act of desperation he twisted Unit 01s torso and hurled what was left of his combatant shot put style towards the lake.  The legless war machine sailed through the air as gracefully as a boulder and then there was an explosive splash as the massive machine struck water and sunk like the proverbial stone.  Water was flashing into steam at an alarming rate and Shinji finally made it the rest of the distance with less than 10 seconds on his timer.

"Please, you've got to work" he begged as he attempted to unfold his AT Field.  He focussed every iota of will he had left in an effort to summon the protective barrier but it was not enough.

"No please!" he screamed as a bright light erupted from the middle of the lake only to be followed an instant later by the unholy wrath of a catastrophic nuclear meltdown.  

_Only for you_ whispered a familiar voice as the air shimmered around Unit 01 and the blinding light stole everything from view.

* * * * *

Several hours' later three figures were once again gathered in the office of one Gendo Ikari.  They assumed pretty much the same positions as they had last time they were in council and the atmosphere of the normally cold office was tense with anticipation.

"Report" Ikari ordered gruffly.

"Well things didn't go exactly to plan.  Once they lost control of their beast Misato took it upon herself to stop it before it could reach a populated area and melt down.  Unit 01 was sent in so that Misato could board the machine and delete the programming from the main computer but it seems that someone had a nasty surprise for us" Ritsuko informed with a frown.

"And that would be?" inquired Fuyutsuki from his position behind Gendo.  Ritsuko frowned more deeply at the ramifications of what she was about to report.

"It seems that someone altered the programming of the Jet Alone from our original plan.  The machine attacked Unit 01 the instant it was close enough."  A gasp escaped from Fuyutsuki's lips as the full impact of such an action was rammed home in his conscience.  Gendo gave no reaction at all.

"So what happened?" asked Fuyutsuki.

"Well Shinji did his best to disable the target but in the end he was unable to get Misato on board and so attempted to contain the blast with Unit 01.  Our code to shut the machine down was not accepted and in the end a catastrophic meltdown was unavoidable."

"What was the damage to Unit 01?" asked Gendo, speaking for only the second time so far.

"Well, the F type equipment took a beating but thankfully managed to keep most of the radiation out.  As it is, Unit 01 is clean enough and we will finish sterilising it once it is back in its cage.  Its armour however was stripped of the first layer the entire body over and will likely take a couple of days to replace.  All in all it could have been a lot worse."

"What of Unit 01s pilot and Captain Katsuragi?" inquired Fuyutsuki.

"The third child is fine but Captain Katsuragi sustained some internal injuries after being nearly crushed during the battle.  As long as she takes it easy for a week or so she should fully recover will no ill effects."

"Have you anything else to report?" asked Ikari.

"Actually yes.  It seems that after studying Unit 01s recording of the battle that the Jet Alone was fighting using a very familiar style.  Almost all of its combat moves were used by either Unit 01 or the third angel during the first battle for Tokyo III.  Someone not only managed to edit the programming of the Jet Alone but they also hacked into our files of the battle in order to make it into a decent combat machine."

"Can you identify the source of this intrusion?"

"I believe so yes."

"Then do so.  You are dismissed."

"Yes sir."  After she had left the room the two remaining occupants remained still for many moments.  

"This was an unexpected event" growled Fuyutsuki after a period of silence.

"Indeed.  It seems that someone wishes to interfere with the scenario.  I want to know who it is and how they managed to do so without being noticed" he said with a hint of anger entering his normally emotionless voice.

"As you wish" and with that Fuyutsuki left the supreme Commander of NERV to ponder this disturbing event.

**Author's notes:**  Hmmm...still no subtlety.  I'm working on it but I guess it just doesn't naturally to me...oh well.    This chapter really seemed to flow and I actually wrote just about the entire thing in one eight hour sitting!  Kinda sad perhaps but I confess that I have no life and far too much time to kill so at least I'm doing something constructive...  And if others enjoy what I'm doing then that's enough justification to keep going.

Well I promised more EVA action and there it is.  I've never read any fics which involved an actual fight with the Jet Alone and since I love writing battle scenes I just couldn't pass up this opportunity.  Hopefully it came across as realistic considering the nature of the two combatants.  Heh, I was tempted to have Shinji stuff Misato into the shoulder pylon with his progressive knife but that just seemed a little too crazy and I can't see Shinji being that callous!

I've started the forth chapter but have only written a couple of thousand words so far.  "Only a couple of thousand?" I hear you cry...  Well whilst that may be an entire chapter for many a writer I (as you have no doubt noticed) am quite long winded as I try to write in detail and I don't like leaving people hanging in suspense.  As long as inspiration continues to be abundant it should be out in a week or so as I like to wait about a week to receive as many reviews as possible.  Although the chapters have so far been written before receiving any reviews that probably won't continue for too much longer and I like being able to make changes according to what feedback you guys give me.  Besides with over ten thousand words a chapter I'm sure you guys need a short break in between!

Ezstarius.


	4. I'll be There for You

Author's prerant:  Yes you did read right.  Starting at chapter 5 I will be writing two simultaneous stories, one following a Shinji/Asuka arc and one a Shinji/Rei.  The first four chapters will remain the same aside from my correction of the spelling for Fuyutsuki (Thanks KevenEC).  After much debating with my prereader Steve Vader he came up with this idea.  I guess it was only a matter of time before those rabid Rei fans found out where I live so at least his way I can delay being flayed alive by them...hopefully.  I'll try my best to make both plots interesting and whilst they will both follow the path I had originally planned I'll try to make enough difference between the two so that if one were so inclined they could read both without loosing interest from too much repetition.  

I would have had this chapter uploaded a few days ago but first the site was down, then it wouldn't let me upload, then it decided to insert random symbols the whole way through my work when it finally let me upload...  So anyway I'll be uploading as HTML now since it doesn't like .doc.  Not that it bothers you I'm sure.

Of course this means that it'll take me longer to update since I have to write two chapters instead of one each time but I'm sure that you can  all bear with me there and I'll wait until both are written so I can upload them simultaneously.

Mammoth thanks to Steve Vader for prereading and offering me all your input.

Thanks too to everyone who has reviewed, I do take your thoughts and comments seriously and without reviews then I don't know if I'm doing well, o.k. or abysmally.  It seems that if you nag me enough then there can be room for change in this fic...so long as you provide me with a worthy ultimatum.  Anyway, on with the story.

**Chapter 4 – I'll be There For You**

The small room was dark as night with no windows and a single large steel reinforced door which admitted none of the pale glow from outside.  It was very sparsely furnished with a small cot being the only object in the claustrophobic confine and on that cot lay a single dishevelled figure.  Judging by the stubble which had grown since being confined here it was apparent that the person was male.  He was lying on his side curled in the foetal position with his arms protectively encircling his head and the only sign of life was the unsteady rising and falling of his chest.  He remained in that state for a very long time before his eyelids finally fluttered open revealing bloodshot brown eyes which attempted vainly to adjust to the extreme absence of light in his current position.

Once his eyes adjusted as well as they were going to he could just make out his surroundings and concluded that he was in a prison cell.  Attempting to sit up was a lesson in agony as it felt like every single muscle screamed its protest against any kind of activity.  Groaning in pain he collapsed back down onto the cot and started panting heavily from the exertion.  _Damn...they really did a number on me he thought bitterly as he waited for the wave of nausea to pass.  Within a few minutes he felt slightly better and began to gently explore his body.  From what he could feel, both of his legs seemed to be broken along with a number of ribs and he had a hairline fracture on the left side of his scalp.  The telltale stitches in his right torso just below the rib cage marked the spot where he had been shot.  The bullet had miraculously missed his liver and all other important organs in the area and passed straight through causing very little damage._

_How long have I been here?_ he wondered as he again tried to raise himself to a sitting position with agonising slowness.  After a full minute he managed to complete the painful manoeuvre and again studied his surroundings from his new vantage point.  

"Definitely a prison cell" he muttered to himself before sighing in defeat.  He tried to recall exactly what the hell he was doing here and where here is but the constant pain being sent up his nervous system from a heavily abused body nullified any chance of having a coherent thought without some kind of outside influence.  A short while later a dull echo could be heard from outside his door and upon listening closely he surmised that it was definitely coming closer.  He didn't have to wait long before a card was inserted in the electronic lock and the door slid open on well oiled tracks.  Though the light outside would be considered quite dim compared to the daylight above, it was just like looking into a cars high beam for the unfortunate prisoner.  He quickly shut his eyes and turned his head in an effort to avoid the assault on his dark adjusted optical organs and resigned himself to another round of intense pain.

Two large figures entered the cramped cell and without a shred of compassion between them, grabbed one arm each and hoisted the unfortunate prisoner off the cot before dragging him out of the cell.  He clamped his jaw shut so tightly that he thought it was going to shatter teeth; such was the agony he was in due to the rough treatment.  Despite his best efforts he couldn't control the moan of pain that escaped his clenched jaw and every step his captors took was like smashing his ribs with a medieval mace.  After much walking they finally came to another room and the two large figures unceremoniously dumped him in a chair before standing slightly behind it on either side.  Again he managed to keep himself from screaming out in pain...but only just.  A couple of minutes later the door opened and a solitary figured walked in.  Recognition hit the man instantly and he narrowed his eyes in hatred as he finally realised where he was.

"Are you willing to talk yet?" the other figure asked with no trace of emotion as he sat down on the chair opposite the prisoner.  The two eyed each other dispassionately, one glaring with open hatred in an attempt to kill just with a look, the other with contempt.

"I thought we had a deal" the other figure continued, completely unaffected by the intensity of the glare being sent his way, he was after all, quite used to hatred.  "So why did you betray me?"

"I don't know what you're talking about" growled the prisoner hoarsely from a very sore throat.  "I upheld my end of the bargain; I'm not responsible for what happened"

"So you continue to profess your innocence?  How amusing. Hacking into the MAGI is not an easy task to accomplish and an even harder one to hide.  We have evidence that you are the one who committed this act of espionage and I want to know why you did it and who you are working for."  The coldness in the other person's voice was enough to send chills down the prisoner's spine as the interrogation took the same course as the last one.

"Look I told you, I had nothing to do with it.  We had an agreement which was beneficial to both parties...why the hell would I want to jeopardise that?" he asked with anger seeping through his voice.

"That is the question" replied the cold voice.  The two stared at each other for almost a full minute with neither one making any attempt to continue the conversation.  

"Very well then.  If you will not tell me then I will have to use more...forceful measures.  You will tell me...one way or another" and with that the figure rose to his feet and strode over to the door.  

"Damn it Ikari I'm telling you the truth!" he yelled at the retreating figure.  Gendo paused at the door but made no effort to turn around.

"That is what remains to be seen."  With his final words spoken the Commander of NERV left the room and his prisoner to his fate.  The screams of the unfortunate prisoner echoed through the empty halls for hours afterwards as his mind was flayed in an attempt to discern if he was telling the truth or not.

* * * * *

Outside the sun was shining brightly as usual and the populace of Tokyo III continued to go about their business without thinking of the possibility of an angel attacking and terminating their existence.  Being a Sunday there was no school and kids were out enjoying the one full day off that they received each school week.  For once Shinji was one of those kids and he wandered around purposelessly until he stumbled across the park he always passed on the way to school.  Noticing no one enjoying its serenity he smiled slightly to himself and made his way over to sit at the base of the largest tree.  It was much cooler in the shade and he felt a sense of tranquillity as he watched nature trying to thrive despite the hostility of the city surrounding the area.  His S-DAT finished its current track and started playing the next one and Shinji closed his eyes to enjoy the music in peace.  

The track was one of his favourites; The Unforgiven by Metallica.  Though he'd only bought the tape a week ago he'd already committed the translation to memory.  This song held a special significance to Shinji and indeed it seemed that it was very well written about him.  As the first verse kicked in he started picturing his first few moments in Tokyo III and how he was forced into piloting Unit 01 against his will.

New blood joins this earth

And quickly he's subdued

Through constant pained disgrace

The young boy learns their rules

With time the child draws in

This whipping boy done wrong

Deprived of all his thoughts

The young man struggles on and on he's known

A vow unto his own

That never from this day

His will they'll take away

Images of his father continually cropped up as he listened to the song and indeed that was just about all he could see when the chorus began.  His own weaknesses, his own failings, how he never lived up to what his father expected of him.  Just what did he expect of him?

When I've felt

What I've known

Never shined through in what I've shown

Never be

Never see

Won't see what might have been

When I've felt

What I've known

Never shined through in what I've shown

Never free

Never me

So I dub thee unforgiven

The second verse held a lot of meaning to the way Shinji would have been were it not for those who stayed by him, for those who told him that they cared.  The verse was still painfully relevant however and were it not for those kind souls then he surely would have descended into the depths of despair that the verse mentions.

They dedicate their lives

To running all of his

He tries to please them all

This bitter man he is

Throughout his life the same

He's battled constantly

This fight he cannot win

A tired man they see no longer cares

The old man then prepares

To die regretfully

That old man here is me

The final chorus pretty much sums up Shinji's feelings for the man known as Gendo Ikari, his father.  He doesn't get angry when he hears it in the song though; the fact that someone else wrote this, that someone else must know how he feels to a degree, its reassuring to Shinji.  He's not alone.

When I've felt

What I've known

Never shined through in what I've shown

Never be

Never see

Won't see what might have been

When I've felt

What I've known

Never shined through in what I've shown

Never free

Never me

So I dub thee unforgiven

You labelled me

I'll label you

So I dub thee unforgiven

The song finally finished and Shinji let out a sigh.  It seems that Aoba was right; he really did need to broaden his musical horizons.  Songs like this were such powerful things and they really struck something deep inside Shinji's being.  The next track began to play and Shinji suddenly felt a presence at his side.  Opening his eyes he was greeted by the form of a stunning young woman dressed in a running shirt and shorts who had obviously been out exercising due to the way she was panting lightly.

"Well Shinji, this is a surprise" she said cheerfully before removing the canteen which was attached to her waist and taking small sips of water from it.  Blinking in surprise Shinji stopped the tape and took the ear buds out before rising to his feet.  With no reply forthcoming the young woman simply smiled at his surprise.

"I'd have thought that you'd be out with your friends on a glorious day like this" she said whilst wiping her forehead with a small hand towel.

"Uh well I wasn't really planning on going anywhere..." he said as he studied the face of the woman before him.  

"Oh?  Just out for a bit of fresh air are you?"

"No.  Misato kicked me out of the apartment..." he mumbled as he looked down at his feet.

"She what?" asked the woman, surprise clearly evident in her features.  Shinji allowed a small smile to form as he raised his gaze to her face once again.

"She said I was making her feel like a grandmother, that I was fussing too much over her.  She's still not fully recovered but she threatened to organise extra harmonics tests for me if I didn't leave the apartment and her for a couple of hours."  The two shared a soft laugh and a shake of their heads at the antics of a certain Operations Director.

"Yep...that sounds like Misato alright" she said.

"So what about you Maya?  Do you normally...get out much?" he asked awkwardly, not being comfortable or confident in the small talk department.  

"Well, a girl's got to stay in shape somehow" she said with a wink and Shinji had to fight hard to avoid dropping his gaze to admire her shapely figure.  "But I guess I'm in a similar situation to you.  Dr Akagi pretty much kicked me out of the Geofront and ordered me to have the day off.  Since I haven't had much free time of late and it is a beautiful day I thought why not take advantage of the situation?"  Shinji could only nod at the logic of the statement.

"Say are you hungry?"  Shinji thought about the question and simply nodded in response.

"Well I'm meeting up with Shigeru and Makato in about an hour for lunch, you want to join us?"   Shinji frowned slightly as he thought about the question and he quickly looked away from Maya as the awkwardness of the situation started to overwhelm him.  After all, here was Maya the woman who had shown plenty of affection for Shinji and she was asking him to join her for lunch.  Sure the other two bunnies would be there but the fact is that Maya asked Shinji...

"Well...I wouldn't want to intrude..." he said softly and Maya frowned at his response.  _He really does lack confidence she thought as she saw the hesitation in his eyes and heard it in his voice._

"Well if I didn't want you there then I wouldn't have asked you Shinji and I know that the other two won't mind you joining us."  Still he didn't look convinced.  Maya sighed as she considered how to get him out of his shell.

"You don't have to be alone all the time Shinji.  Remember what I told you when you were released from the prison block?"  He nodded though he still wouldn't meet her gaze.  Deciding to give it one last try she put her hand gently on his shoulder and winced as he flinched under the contact.  

"I'm not forcing you or anything Shinji; I just thought it would be nice to have some company.  Friends have a right to hang out with each other don't they?" she asked gently with a soft, understanding expression.  Shinji looked back at her and was once again taken in by the kindness of her eyes.

"I...I suppose you're right.  I'd...like to join you for lunch Maya."  She couldn't help but smile at her triumph.

"Great" she said.  "Well I've got to get home and change so how about I meet you back here in say...40 minutes?"

"Sure" he said.  Saying their farewells they both went on their way, Maya jogging off to her home whilst Shinji walked back to the shade of the tree in order to think about what had just happened.

* * * * *

At around about the same time another young woman was out wandering the streets of Tokyo III.  She walked at a sedate pace, clearly not in any rush and her head was bowed in thought.  Since she had finished everything that was required of her for the day and she had nothing else to do, she decided that home was the best place for her to be.  Home...perhaps that was the wrong word.  Her place of residence.  Yes, that was a much more fitting term for the room in which she dwelled when not required to perform her duties.  A home indicated someplace where one belonged and felt comfortable; no such place existed for Rei Ayanami.  

The busy streets of the bustling city in which she dwelled didn't affect her in the slightest as she slowly made her way back from the Geofront.  She didn't notice the numerous odd or unsavoury looks directed her way from the passers-by, so deep in thought was she.  Had she noticed the looks it wouldn't have bothered her in the slightest anyway because Rei was beyond such trivial matters like what people thought of her.  The tests she had today were all completed successfully and efficiently and yet she didn't feel satisfied.  Normally she wouldn't have felt anything after the tests but ever since the battle with the fifth angel she had been feeling...dissatisfied.  Every time Rei looks into Commander Ikari's eyes all she sees is emptiness and this is starting to bother her.  

The man cared for nothing.  Not Rei, not Shinji, not anything except his scenario.  The cold hearted way in which he was willing to sacrifice anything and go to any lengths to keep those important elements of his scenario under control were nothing short of inhumane.  Rei had always had an ability to see into people, to see something of their inner light or aura if you'd prefer.  For most people it was a light glow, the satisfaction of knowing who they were and what they were doing in this life.  Others like Shinji had a tarnished glow which was painful to behold since he had suffered so many injustices in his short but painful life.  But Gendo Ikari had no glow whatsoever.  His light had long since been extinguished and only a deep and foreboding darkness resided within his shattered soul.  What made things worse was that this darkness spread to others.  Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki, Dr Akagi and even Shinji all had their inner light dimmed by contact with the nothingness which consumed the supreme Commander of NERV.

This hadn't affected Rei in the past.  She could always see the malignance spreading like cancer throughout those in close contact with the shell of a man but only now was she starting to understand the significance of the matter.  Only after witnessing the callous way in which he dealt with his only son did she truly see how far gone he was.  Of course were it not for the emotions that this boy had awoken inside of her then she probably wouldn't have cared.  Emotions which she had only a minute understanding of...

She glanced up at the thought of Shinji and much to her surprise she saw the boy in a park across the street standing under the shade of a large tree and talking with a young woman.  She instantly recognised the woman as Maya Ibuki and paused to watch the two.  Shinji seemed rather awkward at first around the woman but seemed to settle after a short conversation.  Maya for her part was her usual considerate self and was smiling constantly.  By the end of the conversation Shinji seemed to be much more relaxed and returned to sitting under the tree after Maya left.  Rei found herself staring at Shinji for many minutes.  She had not spoken with the third child since the party over a week earlier and got the distinct impression that he was avoiding her.  Frowning at the possibility she turned to walk away but instead found herself walking towards the young man.  Without conscious thought she approached and stood before him.

Again sensing a presence near him Shinji opened his eyes and was once again surprised by the identity of his visitor.  Repeating his actions during the last interruption he stood and removed the ear buds to give Rei his full attention.  

"Hello Ikari" she whispered somewhat less confidently then before.  This didn't go unnoticed by Shinji.

"Hi Ayanami.  What are you doing out here?" he asked with genuine curiosity.  Rei stared at Shinji for a long time and he quickly started feeling uncomfortable.  There was something different about her gaze this time, something less pleasant, but he couldn't seem to identify what the difference was.  Rei for her part continued to stare until she noticed how uncomfortable she was making him and turned her head to avert her gaze.  This only made Shinji more uncomfortable however since he had never seen Rei acting this way.

"Is...is something wrong Ayanami?" he asked timidly.  Rei didn't reply for long seconds as she wondered what she was doing here.  She was going to just walk away but for some reason she found herself unable to do so.  Sighing to herself she turned back to face the confused boy.

"Why have you been avoiding me Ikari?" she asked directly and noted the look of surprise on his face.

"I...I haven't Ayanami..." he started before seeing the look in her eye.  He lowered his eyes and took a couple of breaths before drawing enough courage to meet her challenging gaze again.  

"Well...things have been kinda awkward with the rumours that were spread around and all...I didn't want to give people the wrong impression...or anything else to gossip about."  

"What do you mean by the wrong impression?"

"Well you've heard all the rumours...I didn't want everyone to think that we were...seeing each other or anything."  Rei frowned thoughtfully at his answer.  

"But we are not currently in a relationship and those rumours are false."

"Yeah but..." he struggled, trying to figure out a way to explain the complexities of junior high student's behaviour, but finding himself unable to do so.  Rei waited for him to continue his answer but sensing none forthcoming decided to continue.

"Why would it matter if they thought such a thing anyway?  Does the opinion of others mean so much to you that you would stop talking to a friend?"  Shinji's eyes went wide at the question as the full weight of the situation was suddenly revealed to him.  He could clearly see a trace of hurt in her often emotionless eyes and he mentally berated himself for being so stupid.

"I...I'm so sorry Rei...I didn't think of it that way..." his use of her first name caught Rei off guard and his eyes showed all the emotion that his words failed to portray.  He was shifting his weight nervously whilst he waited for any kind of response from the first child.  When she just continued to stare at him he felt his heart sink as he was sure that he was going to loose her as a friend because of sheer stupidity.

"I'm really sorry" he whispered again mournfully before hanging his head in shame.  No sooner had he performed the action then he felt Rei's soft fingers under his chin and she gently drew his bowed head up to meet her eyes.  Shinji couldn't see any trace of the earlier hurt and instead was shocked to see the corners of her lips upturned in the smallest of smiles.

"There is no need to apologise Ikari.  You care about what everyone thinks of you.  I only ask that you consider your friends above the others."  Shinji sighed in relief and matched Rei's smallest of smiles with one of his own.  

"I will Ayanami.  Thankyou...for understanding."  Her reply was to widen her smile slightly.  As often happens between the two they found themselves lost in each others eyes as a sense of peace settled over the pair of them.  Seeing that her fears were unfounded Rei lowered her hand which was still gently touching his chin and took a step back.  

"I have to go now.   I will see you tomorrow at school"

"Well...I'm kinda going out for lunch with Maya, Shigeru and Makato soon...would...would you like to join us?" he asked timidly.  Rei thought about the offer for several seconds.  Whilst she didn't have anything against the bridge bunnies she didn't know them or feel comfortable around them, unlike the way she felt around Shinji.  It would be nice to be in his presence...but now was not the time for that.

"Perhaps another time" she said after much self deliberation.  Shinji's hopeful expression fell but he managed not to be too disappointed.  After all, this was Rei Ayanami...

"O.k. then.  Well...I guess I'll see you tomorrow at school."

"Yes.  Goodbye Ikari."

"Goodbye Ayanami."  With their goodbyes said Rei left the park in a much better mood than when she entered.  It was very apparent to her that her friendship with Ikari meant a lot and she had been...disappointed with their lack of interaction.  Knowing now that his reasons for avoiding her weren't sinister was a load off her mind.  Her small smile remained the entire trip back to the shabby apartment complex in which she resided.  - _Is this happiness? - she wondered silently to herself.  Regardless, she decided that it was a feeling she could get used to._

Shinji watched Ayanami until she walked out of sight before collapsing against the tree.  He cursed his own stupidity again as he was fully aware of how insensitive his actions towards Rei had been.  He'd only met her a couple of months ago and yet there was something about her, something that drew him to her.  He had no idea what it was but he was always more at peace when around her.  Having her as a friend was very important to him as she didn't have any other friends.  _That'll have to change_ he thought to himself.  There were plenty of good and understanding people out there and with a bit of coercion he might be able to get her to open up more to others.  First he'd have to get her to open up more to him though...  Whilst she was far more open with Shinji than anyone else, she was still very mysterious.  So it was that Shinji spent the remainder of his time until Maya came by thinking of ways to get to know Rei Ayanami better.

* * * * *

The cool air being circulated around the small café by the overstressed air-conditioning unit was a welcome relief for Shinji and Maya as they entered the small enclosure.  The temperature must have been at least 10° cooler inside then the hotter-than-hell inferno outside.  Looking around the café they noticed that there were only a dozen tables scattered about the small room and much to their disappointment they were all currently occupied.  Shinji looked around apprehensively as he and his companion were now the centre of attention, with everyone staring curiously at them.  Finally someone stood up near the back and waved them over.  Shinji breathed a sigh of relief as he and Maya made their way over to far corner and away from the curious gazes of the other patrons.

"Sorry I'm a little late you guys, but I ran into Shinji just before and since he wasn't doing anything I decided to invite him along" Maya said as she pulled out an empty chair for herself and quickly sat down, relishing the chance to get off her sore feet.

"It's no problem" Aoba reassured her before the trio turned their attention to Shinji who was still standing by the table.  "Hey Shinji, how've you been?" he asked of the stationary boy.

"I'm...o.k." he said softly.

"Well are you going to stand there all day or are you actually going to sit down?" Hyuga asked with a trace of amusement.

"Oh...ah...sure" Shinji muttered before taking the remaining seat.  Maya managed to suppress a giggle but couldn't contain a small smile at his confused antics.  

"Relax Shinji; we're just a group of friends out having lunch together.  We're not expecting anything of you" she said whilst taking note of his reaction.

"I know, it's just...I don't like being around so many people."

"Ah it's no so bad...  There are much bigger cafés around than this one and besides, at least we're out of the damn heat" Hyuga remarked as he leant back into his seat.

"I'll agree with you there.  So how's life been treating you Shinji?" asked Shigeru before taking a sip of his beer.  

"Umm...o.k. I guess"

"Care to elaborate?"

"Well...I've been mostly looking after Misato and just going to school"

"How is she anyway?" asked Hyuga with a concerned expression.  He'd been one of the first to check on Misato after the battle but she was still unconscious, even when a medical team finally arrived to take her away.  They'd all heard from Ritsuko that she would be fine but everyone knew internal injuries were more often than not worse than they appeared...

"She's up and about but I've been trying to get her to remain as inactive as possible.  She's still in some pain and is fed up with me trying to take care of her..."  His expression darkened slightly and his voice lowered as he continued.  "It's my fault she's injured but she won't let me worry about her."   The three adults each exchanged cautious glances whilst Shinji's head was bowed as they were fully aware of how sensitive this topic was.

"It's not your fault Shinji" Maya began gently. 

"Yeah, were it not for your quick thinking then Misato wouldn't have made it at all" continued Hyuga.

"No one knew that the Jet Alone had been reprogrammed, so all things considered there wasn't anything else you could have done" finished Aoba.  Shinji clenched his fists at his side and finally raised his head to look at his companions.  All three were taken aback by his dark expression.

"That's not the point.  The point is I wasn't good enough.  Misato put her life in my hands and I failed to adequately protect her.  Now she is injured because I couldn't defeat my enemy."  

"But Shinji, you were at a serious disadvantage.  Not only did you not know that the Jet Alone was going to attack you, but you only had one arm with which to fight with.  The fact that you protected Misato at all is a testament to your skill and your will to save her."  Hyuga studied Shinji's face intently but was dismayed to find the same dark expression.

"He's right Shinji.  All the odds were stacked against you and yet you came through in the end.  Not only did you save Misato's life but you also saved the lives of everyone in the area" Shigeru added thoughtfully.

"I know that but...why did she have to get hurt?  Why wasn't I good enough or smart enough to save her from that suffering?" he pleaded with them, his anger replaced with regret.

"I heard and saw everything that went on during the battle Shinji.  I know that Misato ordered you to drop her so that you could defend yourself...but you didn't.  You fought back valiantly even though your were outclassed, and it was you who figured out a way to save Misato and get the Jet Alone into the lake to contain the blast.  You did more than anyone else could have done, and were anyone else in your shoes then there's no way that they could have saved Misato and dispatched the enemy" Hyuga said with an honest expression.  Shigeru and Maya both nodded their heads in agreement with the statement and Shinji found himself lost for words.  He looked from face to face and was met with the same genuine expression.  _Maybe they're right..._ he thought to himself whilst he reflected on the technicians words.  

"But still...she didn't have to get hurt.  No matter which way you look at it, it's still my fault for not doing more to protect her.  Every time I get into Unit 01 I hurt people..." he whispered whilst lowering his head in shame.

"Shinji..." whispered Maya with a profoundly sad expression on her face before she leaned over and gently embraced him.  Without conscious thought Shinji returned the embrace and rested his chin on her shoulder, relishing the contact.  Maya gently ran her hand over his back in a circular pattern in order to calm him and in a short time she could feel the tension leave his body.  Shinji thought back to the day he was released from the prison and how Misato had held him in a similar fashion to calm his fears.  Was this the power of human contact?  Was this what he had been missing all these years?  The pair remained that way for quite a while before Shinji gently pulled back, and when he looked at Maya he was rewarded with one of her small but beautiful smiles.

"You can't dwell on the past Shinji; it'll only cause you more pain.  You have to live in the present and be thankful for what you have.  Be thankful for the fact that you saved Misato's life and that in a week or so it'll be as if she were never even injured."  The two locked gazes and for long seconds and they just stared intently at each other.  Shigeru and Makato both watched the spectacle with a combination of surprise and confusion.  Both were fully aware of how kind and caring Maya was but neither were used to her expressing that care in this way.  Truth be told they were both a little jealous of Shinji...

"I'll try" he said finally.  Maya nodded her head and smiled.

"That's all we can ever do Shinji" she said.  The four sat in silence for some time afterwards, no one really knowing what to say after such a deep and painful conversation.  Aoba finally broke the silence by asking if anyone wanted to order anything and within minutes they had all ordered and were digging in to a light lunch.  

"I don't mean to dig up a painful topic or anything but I heard that Section 2 recently brought in the hacker who changed the programming on the Jet Alone" Hyuga informed.  His statement was met by a trio of surprised expressions.  "I hear that they've been interrogating him for the past couple of days"

"That was quick" Shigeru muttered.  "Wonder what they're going to do with him once they've proven his guilt?" he wondered out loud.

"Knowing Section 2 and the Commander it sure won't be pretty..."Makato mused whilst looking at his meal with less interest then before.  

"I still can't believe that someone managed to hack into the MAGI like that.  After all, it is the most advanced super computer on the planet and with the genius of Doctor Akagi maintaining it such a thing should have been next to impossible..." said Maya with a thoughtful frown.  "And not only that, but this whole fiasco has cost us valuable time."

"You mean with the upgrade of Unit 00?" asked Aoba.  Maya shivered as she pictured the giant prototype EVA.

"Yeah.  Dr Akagi had to spend the last few days updating the MAGI and without her leadership the work on Unit 00 has suffered."

"Are you o.k?" asked Hyuga after she had finished.  Maya glanced up at him for an instant before returning her gaze to her lunch.  Both Shinji and Shigeru were watching her intently.

"I'm fine, it's just...there's something about Unit 00..." she trailed off before pushing her meal aside.  The mere thought of the unpredictable building sized killing machine was enough to destroy her appetite.

"Wh-what about Unit 00?" Shinji queried nervously.  Maya took a moment to consider her answer before turning to Shinji and offering him a half-hearted attempt at a reassuring smile.

"It's nothing...ever since the battle with the 5th angel I just...It just seems different" she struggled with the effort of putting her thoughts and feelings into words.  The three males just looked at her quizzically.  Sighing to herself she continued.

"Well you know...Rei had those problems and now we're completely overhauling it to make it even more formidable.  Doctor Akagi won't say anything about what happened but I've seen her scowling at Unit 00 when she thought no one was looking.  I just think we're being too careless...what if we have further problems?"

"I know what you mean.  We don't know a thing about the EVAs and yet they're the only force stopping the annihilation of the human race" Aoba mused with a grim expression.

"What do you think Shinji?" asked Makato.  "You're the only one here who knows what it feels like to pilot one." 

"Well all I know is that it feels...comfortable.  When I'm linked with Unit 01 I feel warm and...safe, like something is watching over me."  He thought about telling them of the voice he heard on several occasions but reconsidered due to the fact that it sounded crazy.  Glancing up he noticed all three of the adults considering him with thoughtful expressions.

"Well that's interesting" Hyuga thought out loud.  "I wonder if Rei would say the same thing?"  Shinji frowned thoughtfully at the question.  Just what did Rei think about piloting?  She had told Shinji before the battle that she piloted because EVA was her bond to humanity...but did she feel the same things that Shinji felt?  Perhaps he should talk to her about it again...

"Well at least we'll be getting Unit 02 and the second child in a couple of days.  I must say that I'll sleep better once they are here to offer their additional support" commented Shigeru after a drawn out silence.  Hyuga and Maya nodded absently but Shinji only maintained his frown.

"You must be looking forward to having someone else to fight with you Shinji.  It'll take a lot of pressure off you and increase our chances of winning each battle" Maya commented whilst looking at Shinji.  He just sighed and stared at the table.

"So there will be another kid just like me.  Another kid thrust into the position of saving the world.  Another kid who has to suffer so that we as a race might continue to exist."  His defeatist tone was painful for Maya to hear and his sudden lack of expression worried her even further.  Glancing at Shigeru and Makato she could tell that they were just as worried as she was.  

"Well from what I've heard she's been training for a long time and actually enjoys piloting her EVA" Shigeru offered hopefully but Shinji seemed not to hear him.  A tense silence prevailed as no one really wanted to say anything else that may upset the fragile boy.  Figuring that the silence was just as bad as anything, Maya decided that something should be said...

"Hey, this was supposed to be a relaxed day off.  So why is it that so far we've talked about nothing but work?" she asked, looking at each of the three other faces in turn.  

"You've got a point there..." Hyuga said with a slight nod of his head.  Aoba also nodded his assent but Shinji was unmoved, too lost in thoughts of the dark possibilities the future may hold.  Searching for a distraction, Hyuga called over a waitress and ordered a round of drinks for everyone.  After they arrived Shigeru started up some non-work related small talk and eventually everyone lightened up and started to relax.  They spent an hour just enjoying each others company and talking about everything and nothing before Shinji decided he needed to get back to check on Misato.

"Thanks for lunch.  It was nice to spend some time with you guys" he said politely.  

"Yeah, I guess it was just lucky that I ran into you when I did" Maya commented with a smile.  

"Maybe we should do this more often?" suggested Hyuga after Shinji rose to his feet.

"Yeah why not?  It's nice being able to just hang out with good company" agreed Aoba.  

"What do you say Shinji?" Maya asked as she too rose to her feet.

"Uh, yeah I suppose so.  It's not like I do anything else anyway..."

"Great, then it's decided.  I guess it'd be best to organise things at work so that we know what time we are all free" suggested Hyuga.  Everyone nodded an affirmative.

"Well thanks again you guys, I guess I'll see you tomorrow" Shinji said as he looked at each of adults.

"Oh before you go I have something for you" Shigeru said as he started rummaging through his pockets in search of the gift.  Finally locating it he extracted a small plastic box and slid it over the table to Shinji.  Shinji picked it up and realised it was a tape for his S-DAT.  

"Iron Maiden's Greatest Hits" he read on the cover.  (AN:  This one's for you Optimus Magnus :P)

"Yeah, you said you liked the other music I gave you so here's something else for you to try.  I'm pretty sure that you'll like it."

"Thanks" Shinji said with a smile.

"No problems Shinji" he replied.

"I'll take my leave now as well" informed Maya.  "Do you want a lift home Shinji?"

"Uh...if it's not a problem..." 

"It's no problem; it's on the way after all."

"O.k. then"

"Right, I'll see you guys tomorrow" she said as she gestured for Shinji to head to the door.

"Yeah, see you then" the two men replied in unison.  They watched as Shinji and Maya headed to the exit and Shinji opened the door for Maya before following her through afterwards.  Shigeru just shook his head.

"Lucky bastard" he said with a sly smile.  Hyuga nodded in agreement.

"I'll say."

* * * * *

"So he was telling the truth after all" stated Fuyutsuki regretfully as he looked upon the corpse of the former prisoner which was laid out on a stretcher before him.  Two guards flanked the motionless body and at Gendo's nod covered the lifeless vessel with a sheet before dragging the stretcher out of the door to dispose of the evidence.  

"Yes, it seems so" replied the younger man with the slightest of frowns.  Fuyutsuki failed to hide his disgust as the body was removed and it took a tremendous amount of will to restrain himself from screaming at Ikari for being so inhumane.  

"There were other avenues of interrogation we could have taken.  This was supposed to be a last resort" he growled at his superior.  Whilst his tone didn't go unnoticed by Gendo, the Supreme Commander made no reaction whatsoever.

"It would have come to this anyway.  This way we didn't have to wait to get the results" he retorted coldly.  Fuyutsuki closed his eyes as he struggled to keep his temper under control.  Opening them again he found Ikari to be in the exact same position.

"But still, it was unnecessary."

"The ends justify the means professor; you of all people should know that.  This is not the issue we need to discuss however.  The problem at hand is that we have been taken for a ride" he said as he turned to look at his one time teacher.  Fuyutsuki gazed evenly into the cold depths of Ikari's eyes and saw not even the slightest hint of compassion.  Knowing that arguing further would be pointless he sighed and nodded his head.

"It seems that our adversary is quite cunning.  They somehow managed to alter the MAGI's log whilst avoiding all the trace programs in order to take what they wanted.  But not only that, they also managed in incriminate another in the process.  Quite impressive of them" mused the professor as he pushed the image of the prisoner out of his mind.

"Indeed.  Doctor Akagi assures me that something like this will not happen in the future but unfortunately the damage has already been done."

"Do we know what information they managed to pilfer yet?"

"No.  Aside from the obvious data on the first battle Doctor Akagi has been unable to confirm whether or not they managed to access any other files" Gendo mused with another slight frown creasing his grim features.

"I assume you have taken measures to rectify this situation?"

"Without knowing who our assailant is it will be hard to strike back at them.  I have section 2 working overtime however, and they assure me that they will have something by the end of the week."

"And what is to be done with them once the intruder has been found?"  The corners of Gendo's lips turned up in a sadistic smirk.

"Why professor, do you really need to ask that question?"  Fuyutsuki suppressed a shudder at the suggested maliciousness of his former student and instead shook his head and departed.  _If this is what he does to allies...I don't want to know what he'll do to enemies..._

* * * * *

Two children were sitting next to each other under the shade of a large tree which was planted in a small but peaceful park.  Both were being supervised by a pair of adults whom were seated on a bench some distance away and although their facial expressions couldn't be made out at this distance, a warm and loving aura was projected towards the two children as they happily played together.  They were both currently staring intently at the ground in between them where one of the girl's hairclips had fallen.  The clip seemed to blend in with the leaves and other assorted detritus on the ground and they spent many minutes searching for the elusive item.  Just as the young girl started to get angry, her comrade, a young boy, found the previously hidden object and plucked it from the ground before holding it before her with a big grin on his face.  His grin instantly fell however when a piece of dirt was freed from the clip and due to the speed with which he raised the clip, flew straight into the poor girl's eye.  

Unlike most children her age she didn't cry at the unfortunate occurrence but rather growled in annoyance as she rubbed her eye in an effort to alleviate the irritation. The young boy's expression fell to a combination of worry and fear as he witnessed her struggles and he tentatively reached forward to brush some of the dirt off her nose.  The girl made no move to stop him and she finally managed to get the dirt out of her eye after turning her eyelid inside out...or as close as she could get.  The young boy turned away at the display and when he finally looked back he was greeted by a fistful of dirt impacting against his chest.  He looked stunned before he noticed the devilish gleam in his playmate's eyes and he quickly returned the barrage with one of his own.

The two then quickly jumped to their feet with fistfuls of dirt and began running around whilst hurling the accumulated earth at each other.  The two adults both stopped their conversation and shook their heads before laughing to themselves at the antics of the children.  The two children however were oblivious to the adults and continued on with their game.  For several minutes they continued to bombard each other until the young boy miscalculated his throw and hit the girl in the face.  He froze with a look of absolute terror on his face as she began coughing and spluttering in order to remove the small amount of dirt which had entered her mouth.  Once she had removed the unwelcome detritus she looked up at her friend with a look of anger on her otherwise cute features.  

She paused only to gauge the terror in the young boy's expression before taking off at a sprint towards him.  Without hesitation he too started sprinting though his idea was quite the opposite of hers...he simply wanted to get as far away as possible!  It was quite obvious who was the better athlete though as she quickly closed the distance between them, and it was only his erratic dodging that allowed him to escape her grasp.  

"Come back Shinji!" the aggravated young girl yelled as he once again managed to avoid her grasp.  He couldn't maintain such manoeuvring for long however, and she finally managed to crash tackle him from behind and after rolling him over she pinned him to the ground with her own weight.  He looked up at her in terror as her angry expression changed into a sadistic grin and she leaned in very close to him so that he could hear her whisper one word...

"Payback"

Shinji opened his eyes and sat up suddenly as he was jerked out of his sleep by the incessant blaring of his alarm clock.  He looked around his room in confusion before his disorientation abated and he realised where he was.  _That same dream...why do I keep having that same dream? _ He leaned over and disabled the annoying alarm but made no effort to get up, he merely sat stock still and replayed the clear memory of his dream over in his mind.  He'd had the dream on several occasions since that synch test inside Unit 01 but he was still no closer to understanding it.  The voice told him that the past wasn't entirely painful...yet how could this be his past?  Who was this young girl whom he apparently knew and what happened to her?  If she was a friend then wouldn't his father have sent him to live with her since he already knew her instead of with some teacher whom he had never met before?  Or was he just losing the plot?  After all, he was starting to hear voices when in his EVA and that is surely an obvious sign of schizophrenia.  After five minutes of reflection he still didn't have any further understanding of the repetitive dream and so he slowly struggled out of bed and began his morning ritual, though he couldn't push the dream out of his mind.

After he had prepared all his school gear he made breakfast for himself and Pen^2 which they both ate in silence.  Without Misato and her...interesting breakfast habits, the meal passed in silence aside from the quiet sounds of eating.  After finishing his meal he went back into the kitchen and fixed up more toast and some of his favourite green tea for his guardian.  Misato in a typical display of her stubbornness (or hard-headedness if you asked Ritsuko...) had flatly refused to stay in the hospital even when her injuries were more severe and so Shinji had taken it upon himself to look after her.  She had gratefully accepted his assistance and had even enjoyed being fussed over by her young charge...until he had started blaming himself for her current state.  She couldn't bare to see him beat himself up over the incident and so she had refused any further assistance and struggled to do everything by herself.  This of course had only made Shinji even more concerned but she wouldn't relent until he admitted that it wasn't his fault.

"Misato?" he called out after knocking lightly on her door.  The only reply was silence.  After repeating the action twice he was finally rewarded with a groan so he slid the door open and stood at the threshold.  The room was as messy as ever with the usual collection of beer cans, underwear and the odd takeout container scattered all over her domain and he quickly realised that the sheet-covered lump next to the far wall of the room could only be Misato as she struggled into consciousness.

"Um...I made you breakfast Misato" Shinji said quietly as he tried to plot out a safe route through the minefield which the older woman called a room.  Misato began to stir and groaned in pain as her ribs made sure that she remembered her current injury. After about 30 seconds she finally stuck her head out from under the covers and looked at Shinji with a bleary eyed expression which seemed to ask why the hell was he waking her up at this time of the morning...

"I thought I'd save you the trouble later on" he informed in answer to her unasked question as he slowly picked his way through the room and crouched at the side of her bed.  It was quite obvious from her expression that she was none too happy about being woken up but the promise of food was enough to overpower any unfriendly words or actions she may have had.  Shinji set the tray down and helped Misato into a sitting position with her back leaning against the wall.

"I can do this myself you know" she growled in a sleep-heavy voice but there was no hostility in it.  

"I know Misato, but it'll be easier if I help you" he replied after they executed the slightly painful manoeuvre and he retrieved the tray to set it on her lap.  Misato looked at the meal for an instant before she closed her eyes and inhaled its tasty aroma.  _Mmmmmm...the smell of fresh toast and..._  Her eyes snapped open a second later before narrowing in annoyance at the cup of tea placed at the side of the tray.  She mentally slapped herself for walking right into the cunning ambush that Shinji set.  After all, he regularly suggested she try something other than beer for breakfast...  She growled at the non-alcoholic substance and muttered something about this generation having no respect for tradition.  Shinji didn't quite catch the exact words she used but he was sure that he could venture an accurate guess as to what she said...  

"How are you feeling today Misato?" he asked with genuine concern.  

"Fine" she muttered with a mouthful of toast distorting the single word into near obscurity.  Shinji silently watched her consume the food and even the tea with slow deliberation so that she didn't make any unnecessary movements which would cause her pain.  She knew that he was watching her, and he knew that she knew, but he couldn't keep the frown from appearing on his face.

"Do I have to say it again?" she asked without looking at him.  Shinji sighed and lowered his head before responding.

"No.  After my talk at lunch yesterday I've come to realise that whilst it's still my fault that you are injured, there was nothing else I could really have done to protect you.  I can't change the past but that's not gong to stop me from looking after you now in the present."  Misato's hand paused halfway in the process of delivering another sip of tea into her mouth at his realisation.  She thought carefully upon what she had just heard and slowly lowered the cup back down to the tray before turning to look at him.  

"So you're girlfriend finally managed to talk some sense into you huh?" she asked with a half smile.  Shinji blushed at the suggestion and cursed himself mentally for not seeing it coming.

"She's not my girlfriend..." he whispered in embarrassment whilst looking away from the sarcastic Captain.  She couldn't help but chuckle at his predictable reaction, but the weight of his previous statement quickly brought her back to their current situation.

"I'm so proud of you" she said seriously which quickly grabbed the boys attention.  Shinji turned his gaze back to her and was surprised by the serious expression which she donned after so recently teasing him.

"What do you mean?" he asked in confusion at the sudden change of attitude.

"You've finally stopped beating yourself up over matters which were beyond your control.  Sure, I was injured during the battle but that was my fault for putting myself in harms way.  You not only saved my life then, but you are going out of your way to take care of me right now."  Shinji didn't know what to say so he said nothing; he just stared at his guardian and accepted the praise which she bestowed upon him.  It had taken him a long time, but after his talk with the bridge bunnies he could finally accept what had happened and deal with the consequences.  

"I wonder what Maya must have done to convince you?" she wondered out loud.  Her expression quickly darkened into a frown as she considered one possibility.  "She didn't promise you anything inappropriate did she?  You are underage and besides, you shouldn't be rushing your relationship that fast..."  Shinji's eyes widened like saucers and he was consumed by an intense blush as he realised just what Misato was implying.  

"N-no!...it's...we're...not...we wouldn't...I mean...she's not my girlfriend...and I...we wouldn't do THAT..." he stammered uncontrollably at the accusation.  Misato erupted into a fit of laughter but just as quickly winced at the pain which flared through her ribs at the action.  For the next minute or so she altered between laughing and wincing and tears were streaking down her cheeks at the actions.  Shinji for his part kept his gaze averted and tried to control the bodily reaction which occurred when one was embarrassed.  Not only that, but being a fourteen year old boy he was also trying not to picture the act which Misato was implying...  After a fair amount of time Misato finally managed to get herself under control and she placed a hand on Shinji's shoulder.  

"I'm sorry" she said whilst trying not to burst into laughter again.  "I just couldn't help it..."  Shinji merely nodded meekly but refused to meet her gaze, such was the embarrassment he felt.  

"Aww come on...it was just a joke" she said with a gentle squeeze of his shoulder.  When he still wouldn't look at her she softly pulled back on his shoulder forcing him to turn in her direction.  She could still see a trace of red in his cheeks and only just restrained herself from being consumed by another laughing/wincing fit.  Shinji could see the amusement in her eyes as plain as day and in an effort to distract himself he looked at his watch and realised that he was going to be late for school.

"I've got to get going" he said after meeting his guardian's gaze.  "Don't want to be late again"

"Yeah you're right" she said as she glanced over at her clock and saw that he was indeed going to be late.  Shinji stood up and started retreating from the room but Misato's voice stopped him once he reached the entrance.

"Shinji, I meant what I said.  I really am proud that you can stop blaming yourself for this.  My little Shinji's really growing up."  She said the last part with a playful smile and he couldn't help but smile back.

"Thankyou Misato, I guess I just needed to hear it from several sources before I could acknowledge it for myself" he replied reflectively.

"I'm just glad that you have.  Have a good day at school and thanks for the breakfast."

"Will do and no problem."

* * * * *

By the time Shinji arrived at the school he was only a couple of minutes late and thankfully the class hadn't officially started when he opened the door and entered his classroom.  The teacher however noticed his tardiness and was none too impressed considering the frequency of his late appearances.

"Mr Ikari, would you kindly tell me why you are late to my class yet again?" he asked with no small amount of irritation evident in his tone.  

"I'm sorry sensei, my guardian is currently unwell and I had to make sure that she was alright before I left" he replied honestly and he couldn't help but notice the numerous whispers that started between his fellow classmates at his excuse.

"Mmm...that excuse is getting old.  Don't let it happen again.  Now take your seat" he growled gruffly as he prepared himself to start the first lesson of the day.

"Yes sir, sorry sir" Shinji said with a polite bow and made his way to his desk.  On his way to his usual seat he was surprised to notice that Ayanami was watching him and he gave her a small smile and a nod of the head.  He was even more surprised when she returned the gesture before resuming her usual position, apparently oblivious to everything except that which was beyond the window.  The lesson dragged on slowly and Shinji, as he usually did during class, started reflecting on recent and not so recent events which had occurred in his life.  He didn't have long to consider these matters however, before a barrage of messages appeared on his computer from the guys in the classroom demanding to know what was wrong with his guardian.  Shinji answered as evasively as possible but it took many minutes before the most determined of his inquisitors realised that he wasn't going to say anymore and gave up.  

The fact that this event had been replayed almost every school day since the Jet Alone incident was not lost on Shinji.  He ignored the rest of the messages which continued through the whole lesson and once the bell for lunch rang he turned the computer off and gathered his lunch.  He made no effort to get up though and his two good friends made their way over to him.  As they approached, Shinji noticed Ayanami leave the room after most of the others and head off to her usual secluded spot.  Shinji thought about what she had said when they were in the park and decided that now would be as good a time as ever to get to know her better.

"Hey Shinji, late as usual?" asked Kensuke as he and his larger friend approached.

"Yeah" he replied absently as he continued to look out the door.

"So how is Misato?" asked Touji seriously.

"She's getting better but she won't be 100% for at least another week." 

"Are you alright?" asked Kensuke, concerned with his friend's lack of attention.  Shinji blinked and looked at the two who were impatiently awaiting an answer.

"Yeah, I'm fine.  Um...I have to go talk to someone, you guys mind if I skip lunch today?"  Both boys blinked in incomprehension at the question.  They looked at Shinji, then at each other, then back at Shinji with the same blank look on their faces.

"Say what?" asked Touji in obvious confusion.  Since when did Shinji skip out on their normal lunch gathering to talk to someone else?

"I have to talk to someone" he repeated and stood up before his two friends.

"Uh, yeah...sure.  We'll uh...catch you later" Kensuke said finally and the three left the room, two going to the roof and the other outside.  

It didn't take Shinji long to locate Rei since she, like most of the kids, went to the same place everyday for lunch.  As he approached he noticed her sitting under the shade of a large tree reading through a textbook, though he couldn't tell which subject it was for at this distance.  Sensing his presence, Rei looked up from her book and watched him close the remaining metres between them.  

"Uh...hi Ayanami.  I was wondering if maybe I could...uh...that is if you didn't mind...if I spent lunch with you?" he asked shyly.  Why do I feel so awkward all of a sudden? he wondered to himself whilst he nervously awaited her response.

"That would be acceptable" she affirmed in her breathy whisper.  Shinji smiled in relief and sat down next to his fellow pilot and an awkward silence settled over the two of them.  Since it was Shinji who initiated this meeting, Rei figured that it would be him who started a conversation and Shinji would've agreed, but he suddenly found himself unable to think clearly.  They might have found the silence comical if one of them wasn't so nervous and the other unable to comprehend humour...

"Um...so...how are you Ayanami?" Shinji asked, finally breaking the stalemate.

"I am in good health.  How are you Ikari?" she asked much to Shinji's surprise.  Never before had Rei actually inquired as to how someone was feeling...

"I'm fine" he managed after a couple of seconds in shock.

"That's good for you" she said and Shinji instantly recognised the same words which had haunted him after his first painful engagement with the 5th angel.  He looked intently at her trying to gauge the reason for why the words sounded so...familiar when she said them.  If Rei noticed his interest she gave no indication and merely returned his stare.  Yet again he found himself on the verge of understanding...but recognition strayed just out of his grasp and continued to torment him.  Shinji grudgingly decided to drop it for now rather than get himself flustered.  Realising that Rei was still staring at him he put his mind to thinking about something to talk about.  _Idiot...you should have thought of something to talk about before you came over..._he thought while he slugged himself mentally for this lapse in reasoning.  Inspiration hit him quickly however when he remembered his resolution to find out more about his fellow pilot.

"Ayanami...I was wondering why you...why you're always by yourself."  

"It has never before been important to associate with people aside from at NERV" she replied without hesitation.  Neither her voice nor her expression gave Shinji any hints as to how exactly she felt about that.

"But haven't you ever wanted to talk to someone or just enjoy another's company?" he asked quietly.  Rei regarded him quizzically for a few moments as she considered her answer.  How could she talk to other people considering who she is and how many dark secrets she had to keep concealed from everyone?  As for company...she hadn't experienced any definitive emotions before a certain boy came into her life so she had never before had the desire to be near others, but how to explain these things to Shinji?  Rei could see the pain of his soul, the pain from previous experiences which had damaged the kind hearted boy and she would never do anything that would hurt him more.  So therefore she decided that she couldn't tell him about her past, for he is in too fragile a state and thus she couldn't tell him the truth of her reasons.  She was quiet for so long that Shinji thought he had offended her and started to apologise before she interrupted him.

"I am not...comfortable around people" she finally said.  Shinji nodded slowly as he was quite familiar with that state of being.  

"Would you...want to be around people more?" he asked slowly.  Again his question was met by a lengthy silence as the quiet girl considered his words.

"It is not something I have given much thought to" she whispered honestly and Shinji again nodded slowly.

"Well...you don't have to be alone all the time Ayanami.  If there's one thing I've learned these last couple of weeks it's that it helps to have people who care about you.  People who will be there when you need them."  The irony of using the same words that Maya had used the day before was not lost on Shinji but they held true for Rei just as much if not more than with himself.  

"What are you implying Ikari?"

"Well...if you ever want to talk or anything...I'll be here for you."  She looked at him for a long time as the weight of his offer settled into the girl's conscience.  Eventually she allowed a small smile to grace her features and she could feel an unfamiliar warmth in her chest at having someone offer to be there for her.

"Thankyou Ikari" she whispered almost inaudibly as she felt her throat tightening with emotion.  Shinji just smiled warmly in reply, he had no idea that this was the first time ever that Rei Ayanami had thanked someone.

"Ayanami?  Since we're friends and EVA pilots and all I was wondering if...well...I would like it if you just called me Shinji."  Rei's eyes widened fractionally at the request.  She wasn't on a first name basis with anyone...but if there was someone whom she could be, then it would definitely be Shinji.  

"As you wish...Shinji."  The name sounded foreign to her and yet at the same time appealing as the syllables rolled off her tongue.  Shinji, yes she could get used to calling her best friend by his first name.  Shinji's smile was enough reason for her to advance their friendship this small step.

"It would only be fitting for you to address me as Rei then" she said and this time it was his turn to widen his eyes in surprise.  The smile quickly returned to his face and he nodded to her.

"I'd like that...Rei." 

* * * * *

Meanwhile, halfway across the world a similar conversation to the one between the Commander and sub-Commander of NERV was being held.  Seven figures sat at a large round table which was situated in an equally large, well lit room.  Each of the figures was dressed in an ornately designed robe which stretched all the way to the feet of the wearer.  The robes were blood red in colour with a long hood concealing the faces of all present. Epic paintings of ancient battles surrounded the group but none of those in attendance so much as graced them with a glance.  A solitary servant proceeded to fill the elaborate chalices of each robed figure with obscenely expensive wine and once his task was done he silently withdrew from the room, sealing the portal behind him.  With the servants departure the meeting commenced.

"So, it seems that our little ploy has worked after all" spoke one of the hooded figures.  Several of the others nodded their agreement.

"Perhaps, though it would be foolish of us to assume that they will not take any action to ascertain the true identity of the intruder" chimed in one of the others.

"Indeed, to underestimate NERV would be folly.  Their intelligence division is highly motivated and ruthlessly efficient" informed another.  The statement was met with more nods.

"But still, our agent is extremely skilled at what he does and he is also well aware of the consequences should he fail or be discovered."

"That may be so but NERV has ways of extracting information from its victims.  Should our agent be captured then we will be compromised" growled one of the previously silent figures.

"We should not be concerned with such trivial matters.  We have a contingency in place should things turn out for the worst.  What we should be concerned about is what we have learned."

"Or rather what we haven't"

"Indeed.  It seems that NERV are not the ones pulling all the strings as we suspected.  Our agent managed to find references to a group called SEELE.  He wasn't able to retrieve many details about the group but it is apparent from what little he did get that NERV is subservient to them."

"I doubt that Ikari is subservient to anyone...it's not in his character."

"That remains to be seen.  What we do know is that NERV requires an obscene amount of funds to keep going and it is obvious that not all of this is obtained through the UN.  If this SEELE group are responsible for NERV then they undoubtedly shovel the much needed funds to them.  If we can discover the nature of this group and remove them then it will make our strike against NERV much simpler."

"Bah, I still say that the best way to take NERV down is to eliminate the children.  After all, without pilots those Evangelions are useless" the gruff statement was met by a tense silence before one of the other figures jumped to his feet.

"We have had this discussion before!  We are not child killers!  We have already voted against such a heinous act and you will not continue to go down that path!" hissed the outraged figure.  The two stared at each other dispassionately before another attendant slammed his fist down on the table.  The resounding clang of flesh on wood echoed though the small room and got everyone's attention, as was desired.

"Enough!  We will not have petty bickering at these meetings.  The decision was made not to involve the children and we will all abide by that decision.  The matter at hand is how to most effectively use the information we have on NERV and to gather more data on this other organisation SEELE."

"Yes but the task will be that much more difficult now.  NERV have no doubt taken measures to prevent a similar intrusion and we will be hard pressed to find another opportunity."

"Then we will create an opportunity.  Time is on our side.  The infidels will not be allowed to continue their heretical ways."  The rest of the gathering nodded their heads in approval with the exception of one, as he was busy pondering the earlier argument.  He knew that he was right, but the others were just too blind to see.  Still to go against his comrades would only end in his expulsion from the council and possible execution.  He remained silent during the rest of the meeting as they discussed the information which was stolen and how to best use it against their enemy.

Author's notes:  Well there's chapter 4 done.  Took me a while to complete this one as I lost inspiration for a couple of days and then when I finally finished it the site was down so I couldn't upload...that's my luck for ya.  Don't really have much to say about this one.  More character building, more Gendo maliciousness and a new enemy.  I actually only had the idea for the 'mystery group' after I wrote the Jet Alone battle...shows how much I make up as I go along eh?

Anyway the next update may take a couple of weeks or so since I will be starting to write my simultaneous plots.  I will really try to make them both interesting and believable and if I manage to do this then you can sing your praises to Steve Vader for his genius or if I fail then you can curse me unto death for not being up to the challenge.  


	5. The New Arrival

**Author's prerant:**       Okay, time for an apology.  I know I said that I was going to release both versions at the same time, but it's taken me long enough just to write this one, so I've decided to upload it now.  I hope to have the other version out within a week's time, and when I do I'll upload it as a different story.  I'll name it 'The Price of Victory (alternate)' or something like that, so you'll know when it's out.  It'll be less confusing for you lot as well as for me to segregate the plots this way.  Again, sorry for the delay, but if you want me to write a decent alternate version then you will have to bear with me.  I have to make it up as I go along, more so than with my original since I want it to be different, so it takes time.

I always thought I had decent spelling and grammar, so thanks KevinEC for shattering that little delusion...  Seriously though, it's a big help.  Maybe you'd like to consider prereading for me since you have such a sharp eye for details?

Thanks too to everyone who has reviewed so far.  Funny how since my statement of twin plots, the number of bad reviews seems to have dropped...  Damn vocal Rei fans... ;)  Thanks especially to Optimus Magnus and Dennisud for your continuous reviews.  It means a lot you guys, sometimes it's the only thing that keeps me going...

The usual big thanks to Steve the megalomaniac (or at least at the way I keep praising him he will be soon!) for prereading and generally keeping me in line.  Equally big thanks to Alexei Seranov for also prereading for me and making sure that I don't do something stupid like delete my work and try to start from scratch...  Things are looking up indeed.

Anyway on with the story.  I'll warn you now that this chapter is big.  In fact it's bigger than big.  Excluding my numerous notes and thanks, the story itself weighs in heavily at 17078 words.  Don't say I didn't warn you.  I'll stop babbling now.

**Chapter 5 – The New Arrival**

Darkness, the absence of light, the great concealer.  In perfect darkness one can not see a thing as the human eye requires a moderate measure of illumination in order to map out everything within its field of vision.  Even those animals with the greatest night vision would not be able to see anything in this situation, as even they require some measure of illumination to see.  Anything could be happening nearby but alas, one would not be able to see it, such are the limits of the optical senses.  A fear of the dark is something which has long been inbred into the human psyche, and yet it has often been declared as an irrational fear.  Humans fear things that they can't understand and things they can't perceive, and most rely on sight more than the other senses.  Therefore when they are deprived of their sight they are uneasy.  This uneasiness is different for everyone, some are paralysed with fear, some deal with the fear but are still anxious, but a select few overcome their fear and won't let it affect them.  One such individual was currently immersed in the nothingness of total darkness and yet it didn't bother him in the slightest, on the contrary, he felt quite comfortable.

Were one able to see into the pitch black of the sealed room the individual occupied, then they would be in awe of its dimensions.  Considering the nature of the room one could be forgiven for thinking that the size was far out of proportion, but this wasn't the only strange thing about the room.  The chamber was completely void of any furnishings or decorations aside from a single desk, a matching chair and the unmistakable arcane pattern of the Sephirothic System adorning the ceiling.  The archaic symbol normally lit the room with an eerie glow, but at this time even it offered nothing which would illuminate the room in the slightest.  Such was the will of the single occupant.

Gendo Ikari sat in the pitch blackness of his office in the standard Gendo position, and he stared directly ahead at nothing.  Even he couldn't see a thing as the darkness swallowed everything from view like a tsunami sweeping out of the ocean and consuming anything unfortunate enough to be caught in its path.  Yet this complete absence of light had no effect on the Commander in Chief of NERV.   He was merely biding his time before the meeting due to commence momentarily.  Suddenly a shaft of light speared into the room from the far side and attempted vainly to fill the monstrous confines of the office.  The darkness was not to be defeated however, and as such the penetrating luminescence only reached several metres before being absorbed by the nothingness.  The silhouette of a tall, lanky figure could be made out in the doorway for a moment, before it moved into the room and crossed the floor to stand behind and to the right side of the Commander.  After his entrance the door slid silently shut and the two figures were engulfed in the all consuming black. 

Ikari paused for several seconds before he pressed a button on his desk and the darkness of the room was again shattered, this time by the emergence of five people seated behind five desks, each illuminated by a different colour.  Ikari looked at the five figures, yellow and blue to his left, red and green to his right and white at the end.  None of them had a pleasant expression on their face as they commenced the meeting.

"Ikari, we are concerned with this recent incident in which the MAGI were compromised," began the figure illuminated in white without preamble.

"Yes, it seems that you have been lax in your responsibility of protecting the valuable data and resources entrusted to you," continued the figure in yellow with a pompous, arrogant tone of voice.  Ikari made no effort to respond.

"We may have entrusted NERV to your leadership, but do not think for an instant that you are anything more than an expendable asset," growled blue with an unpleasant expression on his time weathered face.  Ikari slowly turned his head and simply regarded the older man with an unconcerned glance before returning his attention to the figure directly opposite.

"I assure you gentlemen that this matter is being looked into by my finest people.  Whilst we were caught momentarily unaware, there will not be any further situations like this in the future," he said in a deadpan tone with no expression on his face.  

"And just how appeasing do you think your assurances are?" inquired green mockingly.  Again Ikari merely graced the SEELE member with a dismissive glance without offering a response.

"I'm sure that you are aware of the numerous groups whom are not happy with what NERV are doing.  Whilst most of them are not to be worried over there are a few major players who could disrupt our plans," intoned red with less hostility than his counterparts.

"This is so.  It's too late in the project to be letting our guard down; we can not afford mistakes at this time," informed white forcefully.  

"I couldn't agree more," assured Gendo.  "Steps have been taken to prevent any further interruption.  We will find the intruders and deal with them appropriately."

"See that you do," growled blue menacingly.

"And what of the nature of the information stolen?" asked yellow.

"That still has not yet been ascertained," Ikari replied.

"This is unacceptable!  We have supplied you with more than enough resources to see our plans to fruition.  If you are not up to this task then perhaps we should find someone who is..." green threatened with a raised voice clearly portraying his anger at the Commander of NERV.  Ikari didn't even flinch at the threat, for he knew that there was no one better than he for this job... at least in the minds of his superiors...

"I expect no further slip-ups Ikari.  We have invested too much time and money to let inconveniences like this hinder our progress.  Just be sure that this is an isolated event," ordered white with a no-nonsense tone.

"You have my assurance," Ikari replied almost mockingly.

"That's all we need from you at this time.  Do not make us have to contact you like this again," and with that the five figures and their desks disappeared from the room.  Neither of the two remaining figures made any effort to move, as both were considering the outcome of the meeting.  For SEELE to go out of their way to contact Ikari was a cause for concern.  The old men never went out of their way unless the situation was critical enough to demand them to do so.  This fact wasn't lost on the two silent men and neither was the underlying threat of replacement.

"That could have gone worse..." Fuyutsuki offered after a period of silence.

"Indeed," was Gendo's one word response.  He was far from intimidated by the old men of SEELE, but this problem with the intrusion was still something to concern him.  That is of course, until he can devise a way to turn it to his advantage...

"I wonder why they desired my presence as well?" mused Fuyutsuki out loud.

"Perhaps they think that you would be a viable replacement should I be deemed unworthy of continuing," Gendo offered emotionlessly.

"Perhaps," he replied quietly before starting on his way across the empty expanse towards the door.  Thankfully Gendo hit the switch to remotely open the door so the older man didn't have to make his way over blindly.  After the door was shut the room was once again enveloped by darkness and Gendo sat in silence for a long time, before he triggered the opening of the large armoured shutters concealing the windows.

* * * * *

The azure depths of the expansive ocean, offset by the cloud streaked vivid blue sky were all Shinji could see out of the small window beside his seat. In fact that was all he had been able to see for the past ten minutes, since he was currently stuck in a large transport helicopter en route to rendezvous with the pacific fleet transporting Unit 02 to Japan.  The ride was most uncomfortable as the chopper was obviously designed for transport, not crew comfort, and he was knocked around quite a bit by the wind and turbulence.  His discomfort was nothing compared to Misato's though.  She was still nursing bruised ribs and every time the large transport shuddered she grit her teeth in pain.

Shinji wasn't oblivious to her situation, but since there was nothing he could do for her he tried to push aside thoughts of how much pain she was in... with no success.  The longer the flight, the more pain she felt until eventually she was unable to contain the odd wince or gasp of pain.  Looking around the small, cramped crew compartment Shinji once again confirmed that aside from the pilot, co-pilot and Misato he was the only one here.  Misato had tried to get permission for Touji and Kensuke to come along but the action was blocked by the Bastard King.  So, much to Kensuke's disappointment, they instead would have to settle for meeting them at the docks when they finally returned.

After another twenty-odd minutes of flying, Misato called out to Shinji and he looked through the cockpit window to witness an impressive sight.  The entire pacific fleet in all its glory were sailing towards Tokyo III in battle formation.  Misato pointed out the largest of the aircraft carriers and informed him that that was where they were going to land, the super-carrier _Over the Rainbow_.  With admirable skill, the pilot brought the bulky transport chopper down in a relatively smooth landing, though the impact certainly didn't go unnoticed by Misato who issued a low groan of pain.  Shinji frowned at her situation and determined to do something; he gently slipped her arm over his shoulders and helped her out of the recently secured helicopter.  She managed a small smile at his considerate action before the duo unsteadily made their way across the slightly swaying flight deck towards the command tower.  

Shinji was so busy watching the ground before his feet in order to keep his balance that he didn't notice the figure standing before them until Misato stopped.  Shinji looked up and did a double take, as instead of being greeted by navy personnel as he was expecting, they were instead confronted by a dazzling young woman.  Shinji took in her profile immediately.  Long legs, well toned and developed body with a figure to die for, covered by a knee-length yellow sundress, and an absolutely gorgeous face framed by a long mane of red hair which was held back by what he recognised as being A-10 Neural connectors.  Her piercing blue eyes looked over first at Misato, then strayed to Shinji where they remained for longer than with his guardian.  Shinji met her gaze and found himself taken in not only with her beauty, but with the depth of her crystal eyes.  Shinji was surprised when her carefree expression darkened somewhat into a trace of a frown as she stared at him.  Misato watched the display, clearly as confused as the two children.

"Hey Asuka, it's been a while..." she said finally in an effort to break the stalemate.  The redhead turned her attention back to Misato, but the small frown she wore didn't fall away.  _What the hell was that?  She wondered as she tried to identify what it was about this boy that made her feel... confused.  A similar reaction could be witnessed from Shinji as he too looked quite confused._

"Yeah, it has been a while hasn't it?" she answered as the confusion started to dissipate.  "How are you anyway Misato?  You don't look so good..." 

"I've been better," she said with a half smile.  "Actually I'm lucky to be alive but we'll talk about that inside.  First I'd better introduce you two.  Asuka, this is Shinji Ikari, the Third Child.  Shinji, this is Asuka Langley Sohryu, the Second Child."  

"Uh... hi" Shinji offered shyly.  He watched her nervously as she seemed to assess him with a critical eye before she donned a slightly disappointed expression.

"So you're the famous Third Child huh?" she asked rhetorically whilst quickly giving him the once over.  "Not exactly what I was expecting," she continued with disappointment mixed in with a trace of confusion.  Shinji allowed a slight frown at the suggested insult, but let it be at that.  There was just something about her...

"Well it's... nice to meet you," he said with the frown disappearing as he once again took in the beauty of her face.  He quickly dropped his gaze however when she narrowed her eyes at him, and he could clearly hear her scoff of contempt at his actions.  

"I suppose I should go meet the Admiral now," Misato said half heartedly, after witnessing the exchange between the two young pilots.  Not another word was said between them as Asuka led the way with Shinji still supporting Misato, to the bridge.

* * * * *

Back in the futuristic fortress city of Tokyo III, Shinji's two closest friends were sitting glumly in their seats at school.  Ever since Kensuke had found out about the transfer of Unit 02 he had been bugging Shinji to ask Misato to let him come along and see it.  Finally Shinji relented and Misato would have agreed, but the action was immediately blocked by none other than the Commander himself.  Misato was well aware of the futility of arguing with the man so she just left it at that.  So it was that the duo had to endure another day of school whilst their friend was off saving the world... again.

"Man, this is so unfair," whined Kensuke from his position of having his chin resting on the desk before him.

"Yeah..." muttered Touji absently.  The athletic youth was currently leaning back almost against the wall with his chair balanced precariously on two legs in that position which every single teacher seemed to hate so much...  He was also disappointed by not being allowed to go, but his reasons were different.  He didn't really care about the EVAs like his military-nut friend, but he did however care about Misato...  

"Shinji gets all the luck," the dejected wannabe EVA pilot continued.  "He gets to skip school so that he can go and see the new EVA and its pilot, whilst we get stuck here again."

"Yeah..." muttered Touji once again.  Kensuke raised his head to look over at his long time friend and was quite surprised to see the contemplative state the normally ignorant boy was in.  Shaking his head once more at this injustice, he simply lowered his head back down to the desk and muttered to himself about how he never had any luck.  A heavy silence settled over the two of them as they ignored the rest of the lecture.  Both were simply lost in thoughts about how cruel and unfair this world was.

Lunch time came around and even Touji 'the stomach' ate his meal half heartedly.  The boy with the voracious appetite barely managed to get through his standard lunch which, mind you, was approximately equal to the lunch brought by three 'regular' students...  Regardless, for any of those who knew Touji they could instantly tell that something was wrong.  Hikari was one of those people.

She had been keeping a discrete eye on the two boys since they had entered the room just before the start of the lesson with less than happy expressions.  She could plainly see that something was troubling them and when she noticed Touji's lack of enthusiasm for lunch, she assumed the worst.  Curiosity had been eating at her the whole lesson and this was the final straw... she was going to have to find out what was troubling him.  Assuming her alter-ego as the confident, no-nonsense class rep, she strode over to the dejected duo and stood before them.

"Alright you two, what's going on here?" she demanded in her official class rep voice.  Neither of the two even bothered to glance up at the intrusion.

"The new EVA is arriving today," Kensuke whispered reverently.  "And Shinji gets to skip school to see it and meet the new pilot, whilst we get stuck here."

"Yeah..." chimed in Touji, though he didn't really hear a word the smaller boy said.  He was still oblivious to everything, even the imposing figure of the class rep.  Hikari's eyes widened at the news.  She, like just about everyone else had no idea that they were going to receive a new EVA and pilot.  Her curiosity quickly turned to worry though.  _What if the new pilot is like Ikari or Ayanami?  She wondered to herself.  No one considered either of the pilots as 'normal,' so what if the new arrival was just as weird?  Regardless she vowed to herself that she would reach out to the new pilot.  She still hadn't forgiven herself for what happened to Shinji and although he and Touji became friends, the fact was that he didn't have anyone for the first couple of weeks he was here.  No one deserved to be so alone..._

"So you mean they're here now?" she asked excitedly.

"The UN assigned the entire pacific fleet to guard them.  Shinji and Misato are probably already on board the flagship by now..." he muttered resignedly.  

"Yeah... Misato..." Touji whispered dreamily, and fortunately for him he was oblivious to the hard glare Hikari shot him at his comment.  This only served to further annoy the pigtailed girl however, and so she picked up the empty wrapping of his former lunch and after balling it up, she hurled it at him.  Though she hadn't intended it to, the projectile struck the unaware boy squarely in the face and knocked him out of his daydreams.  His surprise at being struck in the face by an unknown object caused him to react by flinching from the contact, and his perilous balancing act was shattered as he toppled over backwards.  This also was not planned by Hikari...  The now fully awake jock hit the floor hard and was catapulted out of his chair, landing beside it in a sprawled heap.

"Oh my God!  Touji!" Hikari shouted with a horrified look on her face, before quickly rushing to his side to see if he was okay. The prone boy had a surprised look on his face as his addled mind was still processing the events that led to his current position.  Finally, he blinked a couple of times and the first thing he saw was Hikari leaning over him with concern evident in her expression and eyes.  

"H-Hikari?" he asked, not expecting the attractive girl to be leaning over him like this...

"Are... are you alright?" she asked with much less confidence then she had displayed just moments before.  She could never forgive herself if she hurt Touji...  He took a few moments to gather his scattered thoughts before venturing a reply.

"Uh... yeah, I'm fine," he finally managed.  He found himself in an interesting position.  He was lying on his back with his fallen chair on one side and the class rep on the other.  Not only that but since she was leaning over him he couldn't exactly move anywhere.  In all honesty the arrangement didn't seem so bad to him... until he noticed the curious gazes of his fellow classmates.

"Uh, Hikari... can you uh... let me up?" he whispered to her.  She blinked at him in surprise for a moment before he gestured with his eyes, and she noticed the throng of staring faces.  She blushed straight away and moved aside to let Touji up.  Once the pair had managed to get to their feet they both looked uneasily at the floor before them, quite obviously embarrassed.  Kensuke was shaking his head with amusement at the whole situation, and the group of students still in the room started whispering amongst themselves.  

"Thanks..." he uttered in an effort to break the awkward moment.

"S-sure," she replied.  Another awkward silence reigned as yet again, the two couldn't think of anything to say to one another.  Kensuke sighed audibly at the stalemate and decided to interject before the situation became any more uncomfortable.

"So...  You want to come along when we meet up with Shinji after school?" he asked of the class rep.  _If he won't take the step then I'll take it for him..._  The pair looked at him in surprise.

"What time?" she asked with more confidence ebbing into her voice.

"Well... the fleet is supposed to arrive at about 1600," he told her.  "That's four o'clock," he quickly added after seeing her confused expression.

"Well yeah I don't see why not.  I'd like to meet the new pilot."

"Well, we're gonna head over straight after school so you might as well come along with us."  Hikari thought about it for a moment and remembered that she didn't have cleanup duty.  _Shouldn't be too hard to convince Ayumi to supervise for me... she thought as a smile began to break out on her face.  _

"Sounds good," she stated with a smile, and Kensuke couldn't help but be amused by the unidentifiable expression which Touji wore.  _He'll be thanking me later_ he thought smugly.

* * * * *

Meanwhile back on the super-carrier, three somewhat less than happy people finally made their way through the labyrinthine confines of the ships numerous corridors and found their way to the bridge.  Misato was feeling fractionally better now and so entered the command, control and communications centre for the Pacific Fleet under her own power.  The room was quite large, unlike most other places on the cramped vessel, and there were officers everywhere attending to the numerous monitors and control interface.  At the far end they spied the admiral gazing out of a large reinforced-glass window.  They crossed the busy room and stood a respectable distance behind the commander of the pacific fleet and waited for him to address them.  

"So you are the people from NERV are you?" he asked after turning around.

"Yes sir, I am Captain Katsuragi, Operations Director of NERV," she voiced in a respectful tone whilst standing stiffly at attention.

"And what about this... boy?" he inquired with obvious displeasure at having another child on his vessel.  Shinji was instantly uncomfortable and withered before the intense glare the old admiral sent him.

"This is Shinji Ikari, the Third Child," Misato answered for him.  Asuka frowned at his lack of response and shot him a disapproving glare, but neglected to comment given the current situation.  

"Humph, well how considerate of you to bring yet another child aboard for us to baby sit," he muttered loud enough for all to hear.  Asuka could think of a myriad of insults to direct at the man but again kept her mouth shut.  Shinji just kept staring at the ground, hoping that they could leave this most uncomfortable situation as soon as possible.

"Yes, well thankyou for your hospitality Admiral," she said with considerably less respect than before.  He frowned at the Captain when she handed over a folder for his perusal.

"These are the technical details of the auxiliary power supply socket we brought along," she informed, seeing the pending question in his expression.  After hearing her explanation he slammed the file shut and looked at Misato with a menacing expression.

"I'd never authorise the activation of that toy.  EVA Unit 02 and its pilot have been entrusted to this fleet to escort, and until we reach Tokyo III my word is law," he growled, getting his point across very clearly.

"That may well be, but I'm sure that I don't need to remind you that in the event of an angel attack my authority as the Operations Director of NERV supersedes your own," she stated with confidence.  Asuka smiled smugly at the statement whilst Shinji looked up at her and saw the familiar 'work face' of Misato.  He quickly looked away as he never did like seeing the commanding aspect of her personality; it was too much like his fathers...  The Admiral merely growled quietly at her boldness.  He was about to lecture Misato on the proper way to show respect for one's superiors when another presence made itself known on the bridge.  The tense atmosphere was suddenly shattered by a feminine shriek.

"Kaaaaajiiiiii!" squealed Asuka with joy as she took off and enveloped the new comer in an all consuming hug.  Shinji turned around in surprise at the girl's reaction and eyed the man before him.  The man was quite tall for a Japanese male and wore a respectable shirt with tie and long pants in a most unrespectable manor.  The most noticeable features however were the long brown hair tied back loosely in a pony tail, the several day old stubble growing from his chin, and the roguish smile on his face.  The man just oozed positive energy and charisma and Shinji felt relaxed in his presence, a definite first for the shy boy.  Were it not for the 35 odd kilos of affectionate redhead clinging to him, Shinji imagined that he would be leaning casually against the wall in a very carefree manor.  

More interesting than his arrival however was Misato's reaction to him.  Shinji watched with obvious amusement as her face initially displayed surprise, before changing to shocked recognition, and then proceeded briefly through anger before resting on resigned disappointment.  Kaji simply smiled impishly at her reaction.

"Mr. Kaji this is the last time that you will invite yourself onto my bridge!" boomed the irate Admiral at the unwanted visitor.  Kaji merely offered the admiral an insincere bow of his head, since the rest of his body was current being restrained.  

"Well, hello Katsuragi. Long time, no see?" he asked with his smile widening slightly as he disengaged himself from the redhead.  Misato was shaking her head and had her eyes closed muttering to herself.

"It's a bad dream... it's a nightmare!"

The distraught Captain was receiving many a strange look from the bridge crew at her overreaction to Kaji's entrance.  Asuka and Shinji looked at their respective guardians with confused expressions, before turning to the other adult.  Seeing no answer on the other's face, they turned back to their guardians expectantly.  Neither adult though was willing to divulge any clues on the matter to their young charges.  The Admiral took this brief lull in conversation to order the foursome off the bridge and forbade them from ever returning to his sanctum.  The four of them quickly found themselves being escorted out into the corridor, and with nowhere else to go they decided to head to the officers mess to get a meal.  

Surprisingly they were the only ones attending the small eatery, and since none of them were really all that hungry they just settled on a round of drinks each.  Misato was none too pleased to discover that since it was a military vessel they didn't have any alcohol... or at least none they were willing to share with a Captain from NERV...  They each collapsed into their seats with Shinji and Misato sitting opposite Asuka and Kaji.

"So how are you Katsuragi?" the unshaven man asked with a playful smile.  His smile was met by a scowl.

"Why the hell should you care?" she hissed venomously.  The unhappy woman quickly became the focal point of attention for the three others.  Both Shinji and Asuka wore slight frowns at her hostility.  It was quite apparent to the both of them that there was some history between these two...and it didn't seem to be all pleasant.

"I'm hurt that you feel that way," he replied with mock rejection.  He sighed to himself before turning to Shinji with an engaging smile.

"So you are the famous Shinji Ikari, it's an honour to finally meet you."  Shinji looked over at the man in surprise.  No one had ever been 'honoured' to make his acquaintance before...

"Uh, it's nice to meet you too Mr. Kaji," he replied slowly, unsure of what to make of the praise.  His uncertainty turned to concern though when he glimpsed a dark scowl from Asuka in his peripheral vision.

"Please, call me Kaji," the long haired man replied casually.  "I've heard of your exploits and I must say that I'm impressed."  Shinji could only nod dumbly at the older man's comments.  

"You've defeated an angel in your first fight with no training, defeated your second angel in one on one combat, defeated the third with a precision shot, and also saved an entire city from a catastrophic nuclear meltdown.  That's quite a list of achievements for one so young."  By this point Asuka was trying to cause the young Ikari to spontaneously combust by her will alone.  _Why the hell does Kaji have to praise him so much? She wondered angrily.  Shinji shifted in his seat uneasily.  All three of his companions were awaiting his response... and not all of them looked pleased._

"Well... I guess I was just lucky..." he finally managed to reply, making every effort not to look at the fuming redhead for fear of what he would see.

"Luck is part of your destiny.  It's your talent."  

The conversation died down after that as Misato was busy avoiding Kaji's gaze, Shinji was trying not to look at anybody, Kaji was trying to get Misato's attention and Asuka was trying to get Kaji's...  Finally after an indeterminable amount of time Kaji sighed and turned his attention back to Shinji.  

"So Shinji," he began with a devilish smile.  "I understand you're living with Katsuragi now."  Shinji nodded at the unkempt man.

"So tell me, is she still so... wild in bed?"  His question was met by a horrified scream from Asuka, a bright red blush from Shinji and a similar reaction from Misato... except her face was red from anger.

"Just what the hell are you implying?" she demanded whilst quickly rising to her feet.  She instantly regretted the action though, since her ribs throbbed with pain at the sudden movement.  She grimaced at the pain and slowly sunk back to her chair with both arms wrapped around her chest.  Both Shinji and Kaji were on their feet in an instant asking if she was okay.   

"I'm fine," she uttered through clenched teeth.  Even Asuka looked worried about her condition, as it was quite obvious that she was nowhere near fully recovered from her brush with death.  

"Tell you what," Kaji said after turning his gaze to Asuka.  "Why don't you go and entertain Shinji while I take Misato down to the infirmary?"  Asuka narrowed her eyes at him.

"Why the hell would I want to waste my time with him?" she asked indignantly.  

"Because I asked you nicely?" he ventured, flashing his best lady-killer smile which never failed...  Asuka was far from immune to his charms and smiled adoringly at him.

"Okay, Kaji... but only for you."  Her response elicited a wink from the man before he stood by Misato's side.  Misato looked up at Shinji pleadingly, but this was countered by Kaji's reassuring smile.  Indecision wracked the Third Child as he wasn't sure what he should do.  Should he stay by Misato who was obviously begging not be left alone with Kaji?  Or should he leave her in his care and endure whatever it was that the Second Child had in store for him?  One look at the glaring redhead was enough to make his decision.  He opened his mouth to voice his desire to assist Misato when he was cut off.

"Well what are you waiting for Third Child?  You're coming with me," Asuka said in her ever confident tone.  Shinji closed his mouth and shrugged at Misato in defeat before falling in behind the proud German and leaving the room.  Misato brazenly looked up at Kaji and was greeted by his trademark smile.  However, the smile quickly fell when he saw the dangerous look in her eye, and he again sighed in defeat.  

* * * * *

After a short flight by helicopter in which not a word was spoken between the two, Asuka and Shinji finally reached the massive transport which was hauling Unit 02.  Shinji continued to follow Asuka down to where the EVA itself rested, and she pulled back on the end of the cover so that they could access the beast.  They entered the large bay which was housing the Evangelion, and with Asuka still leading, they stepped onto the platform floating on the coolant fluid before the biomachine.  The first thing Shinji noticed was the colour, blood red.  Asuka had a broad smile on her face as she gazed upon her pride and joy.

"That's... an interesting colour," Shinji said in order to break the silence.  

"That's not all that's different about my Unit 02," she whispered with barely contained excitement.  "Unlike your primitive Unit 01 and the antiquated Unit 00, my Unit 02 is the first true Evangelion.  It's the first EVA designed solely to combat the angels and is the final production model..." she trailed off as a massive explosion could be heard from somewhere and the ship shook violently.  The two teens both struggled to maintain their balance and avoid falling into the coolant fluid underneath them since they were completely unprepared for the event.

"What was that?" Shinji asked apprehensively after regaining his balance.

"An undersea shockwave..." Asuka whispered.  "Come on!" she yelled and grabbed Shinji's wrist, hauling him back out on to the deck and over to the railing.  The sight that greeted them made Shinji's blood run cold.  Something massive was moving just below the surface of the ocean with frightening speed, and changed its direction to set itself upon a collision course with the nearest destroyer.  Shinji gasped at the horrific screech of tortured metal, as the ship had a massive gash torn into its underside after the angel's impact.  The screaming was quickly followed up by a horrific explosion as the stored fuel was ignited, and the entire centre of the ship erupted violently outwards.  The stricken vessel was torn asunder from the explosion, and with sickening speed the two halves sank below the surface.  Shinji couldn't see any survivors.

"What the hell is that?" whispered Asuka with a trace of fear.

"It's an angel," Shinji replied quietly as the leviathan changed course to gut a guided missile frigate, sending the vessel to the bottom of the ocean just as quickly as the previous warship.

"An angel?" Asuka asked with surprise as she surveyed the carnage.  "You mean a real one?"  The aquatic angel was moving erratically from vessel to vessel, shredding their thin armour below the waterline and sending them one after the other, to the bottom of the ocean.  Some of the ships exploded spectacularly before slipping swiftly from view, whilst others merely yawed heavily to one side before slowly taking on water and sinking below the surface.  There were very few survivors from the former, as the ships sunk so rapidly that they sucked down the unfortunate seamen like a whirlpool.  Many managed to escape their watery fate from the latter vessels though, since they had time to prepare several lifeboats and get themselves a safe distance away from their stricken vessels.

"This is all wrong," whispered Shinji, still in shock from what he was witnessing.  Asuka looked at him and could feel his apprehension.  She quickly pushed all thoughts of the Third Child out of her mind though, and her concerned expression swiftly changed into a sly half-smile, as she realised what she had to do.  This was her chance.  Again grabbing Shinji's wrist she hauled him away from the deck and back into the EVA storage bay.  

"What are you doing?  We have to tell Misato!" Shinji pleaded as he was forced to follow the taller girl back to the EVA.

"Don't be stupid, we'll take care of this ourselves."

"What do you mean?" he asked apprehensively.  Asuka stopped once they were before the EVA and turned around, gracing him with a cunning smile which instantly made Shinji even more fearful.  

"We're going to use my Unit 02 to defeat the angel," she stated simply.

"We?" he asked weakly.  She continued to smile at him like a predator would its prey, and Shinji suddenly found his throat very dry.

"I'm going to show you what a real pilot can do," she purred smugly.  Shinji audibly gulped, and the fact that Asuka's smile only widened at his reaction didn't reassure him in the slightest.

Without another word the confident girl spun around, and headed to a nearby locker from which she extracted two bright red plugsuits.  Shinji meanwhile was staring after her and rubbing his wrist absently.  He could still feel the warmth from where her hand had gripped his wrist, and although she had been dragging him around forcefully it felt... reassuring.  A similar feeling to when he was in Rei's presence only somehow... different.  He blinked when she appeared before him and almost failed to notice the way her arms moved, and an object started sailing through the air towards him.  Reacting quickly, he caught the plugsuit she threw at him.  He studied the suit for a moment before his eyes went wide as he looked at where the chest plate should be and discovered that it was absent... this was a female plugsuit.

"Umm... Asuka... this is a female suit..." he whispered hesitantly.  Asuka frowned at his hesitation.

"We can't all be picky Third Child.  In case you didn't notice we don't have much time, so stop complaining and put the damn thing on!"  Her voice rose in a slow crescendo until she was virtually screaming at him.  He retreated from the volatile girl and looked around for somewhere to change.  With no obvious changing facilities, he started heading around to the far side of the EVA, and he was aware of her gaze upon him the whole time.  

"Don't you even _think_ about peeking, Third Child," she growled, and Shinji only just managed to suppress a shudder at the suggested price he would pay for not heeding her words.  He managed, after quite a bit of effort to get the suit on and pressurised.  Once the air was expelled he gasped as the suit clung tightly to areas which needed the extra space, and it took him several moments to attempt to get used to the suit.  Looking down at the skin tight red covering, he couldn't control the blush consuming him since this suit was far more figure hugging than his usual one.  Turning around he glimpsed Asuka heading towards the EVA, already suited up, and she ejected the entry plug.  Walking was a painful exercise for Shinji, and so he took it very slowly, step by gentle step until he was below the entry plug.  The effort wasn't made any easier by his attempts to cover himself due to his embarrassment.  Asuka though, was watching his slow trek with a bemused expression.  Finally their gazes met.

"Get ready for an amazing display of piloting, Third Child."  

_What the hell am I getting myself into?_  He wondered as he tentatively climbed up the inactive EVA and into the entry plug.  Asuka was already in the pilot's seat and she quickly inserted the entry plug once he was aboard.  Shinji looked around the enclosed cylinder and noticed that the pilot interface was different to his Unit 01s.  Such thoughts were quickly abandoned though, as Asuka initiated the start up sequence.

"Uh Asuka, isn't it dangerous having me here?  What about the thought noise?" he wondered, as memories of his battle with the 4th angel and the Jet Alone made their way to the fore.

"Just don't think too much, shouldn't be too hard for you," she muttered loud enough for him to hear.  Before Shinji could formulate a response, he felt the tell tale signs of the first stage connection.  Closing his eyes, he concentrated on synchronising with the EVA and cleared all other thoughts from his mind.  He could hear Asuka chanting her pre-launch checklist, but he was concentrating so hard that he didn't even notice she was speaking in German.  

This was his first time in a different Evangelion, and he wasn't entirely sure what to expect.  Once the second stage connections commenced he started to feel the familiar presence which he always identified with being in an EVA.  Just as he would with Unit 01, he focused on the presence and opened his mind up to it.  It felt comfortable and reassuring, but not to the same extent as Unit 01.  Asuka finished her checklist and the third stage connection was started.  Shinji opened his eyes as he felt his senses expand and take on those of Unit 02.  Asuka was looking around and was surprised to find her connection as sharp as ever.  She was honestly expecting some sort of resistance from the EVA with Shinji in the entry plug with her.  She turned to him and found him already looking at her.  

"Ich wusste nicht das du Deutsch sprichst," she said, but Shinji just looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"What?" he asked with a slight shake of his head, and watched with surprise as Asuka's expression mirrored his own confusion.  She studied him for a couple of seconds to see if he was playing with her, but his confusion looked genuine.

"You don't speak German?" she finally asked in his native language.  Shinji shook his head at her.

"Not a word."  Asuka's confusion turned into bewilderment at his confession.  She had the language interface set for German... so how could he synchronise with Unit 02 if he was thinking in a different language?  There should have been a critical error and the EVA shouldn't have been able to start.  Apparently the same thoughts suddenly dawned on Shinji, for his confusion also made way for bewilderment.

"You have the language interface set for German?" he wondered in shock.  Asuka simply nodded her head, too confused to venture a proper answer.  Both pilots continued to stare at each other in confusion before Asuka quickly turned away.  _Something like this shouldn't be able to happen.  Just who the hell is the Third Child?_  She wondered.  

Shinji's thoughts mirrored the Second Child's.  _How can I synchronise with Unit 02, I don't know a word of German..._  _Is it... could it be the presence?  Is it helping me?_  He continued to ponder this possibility as Asuka unfolded Unit 02s AT Field and prepared for combat.

"We'll work this out later," she said, and Shinji could only nod an affirmative and concentrate on her actions.

* * * * *

Anarchy reigned supreme on the bridge of the _Over the Rainbow.  Once their sonar detected the massive object closing on the fleet they sounded the alarms and prepared for combat.  However, since they weren't anticipating an assault their reaction time was lax, and it wasn't until 4 vessels had been sunk that they were ready to return fire.  At the Admirals order all remaining ships unleashed their payloads of guided surface to surface missiles, torpedoes and even depth charges at the submerged enemy.  The angel continued on its reckless rampage and impact after impact smashed into the monolithic creature only to have no effect.  Massive geysers of water shot high into the sky with each explosion, but the angel wasn't even slowed by the multiple impacts.  _

Its next target was a battleship, and performing an identical attack as its previous ones, it slashed the bottom of the huge warship which immediately began taking on water.  As if in slow motion, the floating fortress of a ship started sinking lower into the water before its centre buckled and bowed, causing both ends to rise out of the water and break the back of the formerly sturdy vessel.  People could be seen leaping over the edge in their desperation to flee the carnage, but unfortunately not a single one would escape the pull of 40,000 tonnes worth of displaced water.  

The angel was moving too rapidly to be targeted by the main batteries of each ship, but the guided weapons continued to rain down on it like there was no tomorrow... only to explode uselessly against its AT Field.  Misato by this time had managed to stumble onto the bridge and took in the situation in an instant.  Crossing over to the Admiral she decided to offer her expertise.

"Admiral, your weapons will not affect this enemy."  The Commander of the Pacific fleet spun around at her words and fixed her with a withering gaze.

"This is a combat situation, get the hell off my bridge!" he roared in reply, and Misato narrowed her eyes dangerously at the man.

"Admiral, your weapons will not be able to affect the target because your enemy is an angel," she said in a dangerously low voice.  "If you want to live through this encounter then I suggest that you listen to what I have to say."  The older man's eyes widened slightly at the news but he quickly reigned in his surprise and turned back around to the communications console.

"All ships continue the bombardment!" he bellowed into the microphone.  Misato let out a frustrated sigh.  _It's useless you old fool.  Yet another barrage of projectiles was launched from the still floating ships, and predictably had no effect on the target whatsoever._

"Damn it! Why won't it sink?" he wondered out loud.

"Admiral!" an excited voce from elsewhere on the bridge shouted.  "EVA Unit 02 is activating!"

"It's what?!" he yelled in reply.  Upon hearing the news Misato broke out into a smirk which would have made Gendo Ikari proud.  _Way to go Asuka._  Misato looked out the armoured window, and sure enough the shroud covering the red war machine started moving, and then it bulged obscenely before Unit 02 emerged, wearing the covering like a cloak.  The air visibly shimmered around the quad-ocular EVA as its AT Field was unfolded, and this instantly drew the attention of the angel.  In the blink of an eye, it abruptly veered away from the carrier it was about to dismember and zeroed in on the transport Unit 02 was riding on.  

"Here it comes!" yelled Shinji apprehensively as he witnessed the trail of erupting water which followed in the angels wake.  He was holding onto the side of Asuka's command chair with a death grip whilst leaning over her shoulder to better see things.  The Angel tore through the water like a torpedo, although how something which was obviously extremely large could move that fast underwater was a mystery to all present.  

"Uh... Asuka?  We only have fifty five seconds of power left..." he whispered to the redhead who was concentrating on the angel.

"I know that," she growled in annoyance at being interrupted.  "Misato, get the external power socket on the flight deck," she demanded.

"Right," came the swift response from the NERV Captain.

"Admiral, I'm going to ask you to cooperate with me.  If we don't get that power socket on the flight deck then we will loose Unit 02 as well as Shinji and Asuka," Misato said in a level tone.  The Admiral looked at her with disapproval, but grudgingly nodded his head and ordered the deployment of the power socket.  A swarm of activity was centred on the flight deck as the flight crew attempted to secure the power supply and hook it up to the super-carriers onboard nuclear reactor.  Misato watched nervously as the angel was almost upon the still unmoving EVA.

"How are we going to get to the carrier?  We're using the B-type equipment which won't function underwater," Shinji wondered with a worried look.  Asuka merely smirked at his concern.

"How about a little hopscotch?" she asked Shinji.  He was just about to ask what the hell hopscotch was, but before he had the chance Asuka dropped Unit 02 into a crouch, before launching the red EVA high into the air.  Less than a second after they vacated the transport, the angel tore through its submerged hull, and the stricken ship swiftly joined its other unfortunate sister ships at the bottom of the unforgiving ocean.  Shinji increased the pressure of his death grip on the seat and held his breath as Unit 02 soared high into the sky, before it came crashing down heavily on a destroyer which was flanking the transport.  The impact of such a massive object landing on the stern helipad of the vessel was almost catastrophic.  Unit 02s size 16000 feet hit with all the fury of a comet, and the stern of the ship immediately dropped below the surface of the water.  

With an incredible display of balance, Asuka kept Unit 02 from falling forward and managed to swiftly leap off the near sinking ship and land on the next, a frigate.  The stern of the destroyer quickly vaulted out of the water once the unimaginable weight of the EVA was withdrawn, and through an amazing amount of luck the ship stayed afloat, though with two unbelievably large footprints on the now unusable helipad.  The frigate faired even worse.  Unit 02 came down heavily near the prow of the smaller ship and a horrible crunching sound was heard, as the high grade metal failed to deal with the phenomenal weight of the EVA.  With less room to land, Asuka was forced to lash out with Unit 02s left hand and gently grab a hold of the main superstructure in order to not fall forward into the ocean.  She swore savagely as the prow of the frigate began to separate from the remainder of the ship, and Shinji found himself glad that he didn't study German.

In desperation, Asuka placed both hands on either side of the superstructure and managed to gently shift Unit 02s weight onto its hands before moving its feet one at a time, to the centre of the ship.  The savaged vessel was already taking in water from its twisted prow, and so once she had balanced herself, Asuka leapt off the ship and again soared through the air towards her next landing vessel.  The crew of the now doomed frigate were frantically trying to evacuate, but the angel had other plans.  With unholy fury it tore through the already crippled ship and cut it clean in half without even slowing in its pursuit of Unit 02.  Asuka's next choice of landing was a battleship and she had no trouble in bringing her beloved Unit 02 down on top of the 18 inch bow turrets.  

As she had done previously, she absorbed the impact by crouching and with the much sturdier construction of the dominating vessel, she immediately launched into the air with a grace that belied the size of the giant construct.  Midway through her flight she finally discarded the cloak-like cover which had been along for the ride, and Unit 02 was now on display in all its glory.  Shinji was nervously looking between the timer and the next vessel Asuka was going to land on, and it was he could do not to close his eyes in fear.  They continued their most unorthodox manoeuvres, leaping from ship to ship until the super-carrier was the next in line.  The gap between them was larger than with the previous vessels though, and Asuka crouched low before leaping forward at a more horizontal angle to maximise the distance.  

"EVA Unit 02 coming in to land!" she warned with a smile still gracing her features, whilst Shinji looked considerably less comfortable, as he prayed that they would make it through this alive.  Those who were still on the flight deck scattered like ants, and desperately tried to find somewhere to hide from the impact.  Unit 02 finally came down heavily upon the monstrous flight deck, though because of the distance jumped, the impact jarred the flagship badly, and it yawed dramatically to its right side.  Millions of dollars worth of attack aircraft slid over the edge of the listing vessel and it was all Asuka could do to keep Unit 02 from following them.  Using the superior weight of her EVA, she counter leaned to her left in order to prevent the carrier from capsizing.  Once the ship managed to level out she was again forced to counter lean, this time to her right, and it took a good twenty seconds before she felt sure that there was no further threat of falling overboard.  

With less than ten seconds remaining on the timer, she crossed over to where the power socket was securely mounted to the flight deck and hocked the end into Unit 02s back.  The timer immediately ceased its countdown as the EVA switched to external power, and Shinji breathed a sigh of relief.  

The Admiral looked at the remains of his flight deck and groaned audibly.  More than three quarters of his aircraft had been lost overboard, and the massive footprints of Unit 02 guaranteed that no non-VTOL aircraft would be taking off or landing on its scarred surface for some time.  He looked over at Misato whom was still wearing a slight smirk and wondered if she was actually enjoying this.

"What now?" he asked in a tired voice.  

"Admiral!  The target is closing rapidly!" yelled one of the officers hysterically.  Everyone had seen what the angel had done to the other ships in the fleet and they all feared for their lives, with good reason.  The Admiral looked out the thick window and saw the telltale wake of the angel's movements as it barrelled in towards the super-carrier.  Obviously the pilots of Unit 02 also saw the angel, as the left shoulder pylon suddenly opened up and the hilt of an EVA sized knife dropped forward.

"What the hell are they doing?" he wondered out loud.

"Hand to hand combat is the most effective method of combating the angels," Misato informed in her commanding voice.

"But that's crazy!  How the hell are they going to kill that thing with a knife?"

"Because they are EVA pilots," she replied in a confident tone.  The whole bridge crew just looked at her like she was insane, but she simply ignored them.  "Alright Asuka, whatever you do, don't fall in the water.  You're B-type equipment will be useless in an aquatic environment," she said into the microphone.

"Yeah, yeah," was the disinterested reply.  

"Uh Misato... what's the backup plan?" Shinji wondered.  Misato narrowed her eyes as everyone on the bridge turned to look at her in anticipation.

"Nothing at this stage Shinji, just make sure it dies on the first go."

"Count on it," interjected Asuka.

_Not again..._ the brown haired pilot thought as the words echoed Ritsuko's during the battle with the fifth angel.  He watched as Asuka took the knife in her right hand and held it before the EVA horizontally in a defensive position.  Unlike Unit 01s knife, the production model variant had its blade retracted when not in use, and so Asuka extended the blade into Unit 02s cupped left hand before she dropped the EVA into a crouch, finishing the defensive stance.  The blade rapidly began to glow white hot as the sonic oscillations superheated the business end of the weapon.  

No sooner had Asuka set herself, the angel finished its approach.  Sensing that Unit 02 had nowhere else to go, it elected to use a different method of attack.  Like a monolithic flying fish, it erupted out of the water, getting its incredible bulk fully airborne before it came crashing down onto the flight deck of the super-carrier.  Reacting quickly, Asuka willed Unit 02 to leap into the air, and the angel missed the red machine by less than a metre as it evaded its grasp.  The bulk of the angelic behemoth spread over the entire deck of the carrier and quickly covered the power socket, cutting the slack from the EVA.  Fortunately, Unit 02 had already reached the zenith of its arc and it came down feet first onto the back of the angel.  

With both AT Fields having been deployed long ago, the phase space was already neutralised, so there was nothing stopping Asuka's attack.  There was a sickening squelching sound as Unit 02s legs tore straight through the apparently not so tough skin of the angel, and they sunk up to their waist in angel gore.  Shinji was sickened by the current position they were in, but Asuka didn't hesitate in the slightest.  She continued with her attack and brought the progressive knife down into the angels back, and began carving massive chunks out of its skin.  Horrific amounts of dark blue blood erupted from her numerous slashes, and soon Unit 02s red paint job was converted to blue.  The _Over the Rainbow didn't fare any better, as every part of its exposed surface was also drenched in angel gore.  The angel started thrashing around madly in an effort to dislodge the EVA but to no avail.  Realising its plight, the leviathan began sliding toward the edge of the carrier to return to its preferred environment.  _

"Asuka!" Shinji shouted in warning as he began to panic at the thought of being dragged into the ocean.

"I know," was her reply through clenched teeth.  Struggling mightily she tried to free Unit 02s legs from their position inside the angel, but was extracting them far too slowly.  The angel continued to slide towards the edge of the carrier, and the massive vessel was starting to lean heavily to that side, accelerating the angel's departure.  Asuka growled in frustration and resumed carving though the angel with her prog knife until she could move her legs more freely.  Finally, she managed to wrench one leg out of the angels back just as it toppled back into the ocean.  Another eruption of dark blue blood sprayed out of the now gaping hole on the angels back, and it coated the flight deck in a sickening mess.  With few options open to her, Asuka lunged across the flight deck and managed to grip the far side of the carrier just as the angel submerged, and her other leg was violently jerked from its confinement.  

With the weight of the angel lifted, the carrier jumped out of the water somewhat, but due to Unit 02s current position, it was still leaning extremely dangerously to one side.  Taking a gamble, Asuka hauled Unit 02 up onto the deck, resulting in it leaning almost to the point of capsizing, before the weight of the EVA managed to rest in the middle of the flight deck and balance out the unfortunate ship.  Everyone breathed a sigh of relief after they picked themselves up from the deck, as it seemed that the carrier would stay afloat.  

"So how about that plan B Misato?" Asuka asked as she brought Unit 02 unsteadily to its feet on the slick surface.  In her desperation to keep the EVA from going under, she had dropped the progressive knife and so now the giant biomechanical mecha was weapon less.  Misato frowned thoughtfully for a few moments before turning to the Admiral.  

"Admiral I'm going to need your cooperation," she said simply, and the older man visibly paled.

"What do you have planned?" he asked nervously.

"This ship is equipped with N² depth charges is it not?"  His eyes narrowed at her question.

"Yes..." he replied slowly.

"Then I need you to get one onto the flight deck.  I'm going to have Unit 02 force the mine down the angel's throat and wait until there's enough distance between it and us before we detonate it.  With Unit 02 nullifying its AT Field it won't survive an internal explosion."  The entire bridge crew just stared at her dumbfounded.  

"We don't have any time to waste," she pointed out.  The Admiral considered her request for several long seconds before he nodded his head and made the arrangements.

"Asuka, Shinji, did you hear that?" her question was confirmed by both children.  Without wasting any time the crew set to work, frantically trying to get the mine ready before the angel came back for another strike.  Both Shinji and Asuka were waiting impatiently for the mine to be positioned, and Shinji noticed Asuka tapping her fingers nervously on the butterfly controls.  Whist he could only see the left side of her face from his vantage point, he could see that she still had a look of concentration and perhaps a touch of nervousness.

"Um... that was really impressive... the way you handled Unit 02 I mean," he started in an effort to ease the tension.  Her face softened into a small smile at his words of praise before changing to that familiar smug look.

"Well of course it was impressive; you think I became the best from sheer luck?"  

"Well... uh... no..." he whispered in a quiet voice, surprised at her gloating.  She turned around to look at him noticed his worried expression.  

"Relax Third Child, as long as I'm at the helm we won't be defeated," she said with more confidence then she felt.  Truth be told, she was pretty worried herself, though she was a master at hiding her true feelings.  Just how the hell were they going to get the N² mine inside the angel anyway?  With fear accelerating their efficiency, the carriers' crew had the non-nuclear warhead up on the deck in less than 3 minutes.  Just as they had shifted the hellish device to the deck, the sonar operator reported the target returning and once again the flight crew scattered.  

"Asuka, quickly!" shouted Misato.  Unit 02 made its way towards the N2 mine, but had to take it slowly since the deck was slippery from the copious amounts of blood that soaked it.  They were scant metres away when the carrier shuddered violently and knocked the humanoid mecha sprawling.  Though she struggled valiantly, there was no way that Asuka could keep Unit 02 on its feet with the surface so slippery, and so the pilots found the flight deck quickly rushing up to meet them.  The pair braced themselves for the impact, and both grunted in pain with the force of Unit 02s face smashing against the hard surface of the carrier.  The worst it seems was yet to come though.  With the carrier swaying wildly from the angels attack, Unit 02 found itself sliding towards the edge, and the slippery surface gave them nothing to hold onto.  

In desperation, Asuka jammed the fingers of her EVA's right hand through the flight deck and halted their ocean-bound movement.  Glancing over, Shinji was horrified to see the unmistakable shape of the N² mine sliding towards the edge.  Asuka saw it as well, but in their current position they were just too far away to intervene, and so could only watch on helplessly as it disappeared over the edge and into the depths of the ocean.  At precisely the same moment, both pilots turned and looked at each other with resolute expressions.  They shared a silent nod to each other, and Unit 02s fingers released their grip on the flight deck. The formerly red painted Evangelion slid the remainder of the way to the edge and dropped into the ocean, creating a colossal geyser of displaced water.  

"Asuka!  What the hell are you doing?  You can't fight underwater with B-type equipment!" Misato wailed in shock at witnessing the suicidal event.  

"You know what they say Misato... you'll never know until you try," she replied with the familiar air of confidence.  

"We can do this Misato," Shinji chimed in with a serious expression.  Maybe he had been in close proximity with Asuka for too long, for he felt some of her confidence rubbing off on him.  If they can't defeat this angel then it would all be over, so they had to try.  Misato could only shake her head and pray that through some miracle everything would work out.  

The Evangelion sunk so fast that it was quite unnerving for the two pilots, particularly for Shinji since he couldn't swim.  The stark change between the two environments was also disconcerting, since their visibility was now very limited and they had no idea of where the angel was.  Focusing on the sonar readings, Asuka found the sinking warhead directly below them, and within seconds she caught it in Unit 02s right hand.  They continued their rapid descent and both children were surprised to find the submerged remains of a city some distance below them, with a scattering of recently sunk vessels as well.  A warning message snapped them both back to reality though, as the sonar picked up the angel flanking them on the left.  

"Let's finish this," whispered Asuka as she willed Unit 02 to turn and face her adversary.  The angel continued to draw inexorably closer and Asuka started to panic, as they hadn't moved an inch.  She jerked the controls as hard as she could and focused all her will on moving the EVA, but alas it still failed to respond.  With all her efforts she only managed to turn Unit 02s head to look at the leviathan as it moved in for the kill.

"Damn it!  It won't move!" she growled in frustration with a definite note of fear creeping into her voice.  Shinji just watched the image of the angel as depicted by Unit 02s optical sensors and sighed.

"Its B-type equipment," was all he said as the angel was virtually upon them.  His confidence of only seconds ago was already shattered, and now he could only feel fear and foolishness at their actions.

"What are you going to do?" asked Asuka in a moment of weakness.  Her comment caught Shinji completely off guard, as it was the first time the Second Child had shown so much as a hint that she was uncertain about anything.

"What do you mean what am I going to do?" Shinji wondered at her, and noticed her almost fearful expression revert quickly back to one of bravado.

"Well you're the famous Third Child..." she taunted, and Shinji just gaped at her.  The angel decided that this would be the perfect moment to demonstrate just how it was going to deal with them.  To the horror of both pilots, the monstrous entity opened its cavernous mouth, revealing it's all too numerous glittering, razor sharp...

"Teeth!" wailed Asuka in fear.  Each tooth must have been at least 3 or 4 metres high and there were just so many of them...

"This is going to hurt," Shinji whispered as he crouched down beside the chair and held on tightly.  Asuka cringed before the onslaught and unconsciously leaned closer to Shinji as the angel closed the remaining distance between them.  The angel snapped its jaw shut around the unfortunate Evangelion like a snare around a trapped animal.  Its horrifically big teeth burrowed through much of the lower torso and right shoulder armour, and Unit 02s head, left arm and most of its torso were completely inside the mouth of the monster.  Twin screams of intense pain erupted over the communications link, as both pilots were still currently linked with the biomachine and it continued to report the feedback to their central nervous systems.  

Shinji was no stranger to the pain of piloting the Evangelion, and truth be told he had felt far worse from Ramiel, the fifth angel.  Still, it took him many seconds to push through the pain barrier and regain his senses.  Asuka on the other hand, whilst being well trained in the operation of Unit 02, was not as familiar with the pain of piloting and was almost completely overcome by the agony.  Not only that, but her synch ratio was far higher than Shinji's so the pain was much more pronounced for her.  She clutched her midsection and continued screaming as the pain of being virtually torn in half was forced through her link with the EVA.  

On the bridge of the _Over the Rainbow_ Misato slammed her fist into the console before her as hard as she could.  A loud crack could be heard as she fractured the bones along the right side of her hand and smallest finger.  The screams of the children tore through her being as surely as a knife would tear through flesh and sinew, and the fact that she could do nothing for them yet again only made her feel worse.  Not a single person on the bridge could contain a look of horror or grief at the obvious agony the children were enduring, and yet there was nothing anyone could do.  Truth be told, they were all guiltily happy that it wasn't themselves being attacked.

"Misato..." Shinji weakly whispered over the comm. link, still in serious pain.  Misato reached over to grab the microphone, seemingly oblivious to the damage done to her hand.

"Shinji, how bad is it?" she asked with a surprisingly clear voice.  They were still in a battle situation and so her mission to destroy the angels took priority over pitying her soldiers.  That's not to say that she wasn't worried... just that at the moment she had to be their commanding officer, not guardian or friend.

"We're... stuck... inside the angel," he continued, quite obviously still in a hell of a lot of pain.  Asuka by this time had managed to push through the intense pain and clamp her jaw shut to stop herself from screaming.  Her eyes were still squeezed tightly shut though, and her breathing was short and laboured.

"Have you deployed the weapon?" Misato asked.

"Can't... right arm still... outside the target," Shinji grunted in reply.  Misato closed her eyes and visibly slumped.  Even with the angels AT Field nullified there was no certainty that it would be destroyed by an external blast.  Of course they couldn't even be sure if Unit 02s AT Field was even deployed...  On the flight deck the reel containing what was left of the power cable for Unit 02 was quickly drawing towards its limit, as the angel continued to pull away from the carrier.  Misato was staring at the portable device, trying to think of how they could use it to their advantage, when movement off to the side caught her eye.  Turning her attention to the movement, she was surprised to see one of the carriers elevators rise to the surface of the battered command vessel, and an aircraft unfolded its wings before easing onto the flight deck.  Two people could be seen in the cockpit, one being the pilot and the other an all too familiar figure for Misato.

"Kaji?" she wondered out loud, unaware that she had the microphone on.  The longhaired man looked up at the bridge and waved with a superior smile.  

"Hey there, Katsuragi.  I have to be off, so I'm leaving things here in your more than capable hands.  Take care of the children and I'll see you back at headquarters."  Misato looked on with disbelief clearly written all over her face, as the VTOL aircraft rose into the air and raced off towards the coast of Japan.  _That cowardly bastard!  I am so going to rip him a new one when we get back!_ She promised herself before forcing the charismatic lady's man out of her mind.

"Misato?" Shinji grunted again over the radio.  She quickly focussed her attention back on her charge's voice.

"Shinji... you and Asuka are going to have to somehow get the angels mouth open and force the mine down its throat.  We're out of options and we're out of time.  I'm sorry Shinji... but there's nothing we can do to help you."  Shinji couldn't contain the shock at her order.

"But... but how?  The EVA won't respond."

"Look... just do whatever you did with Unit 01..."  Shinji's shock changed into complete and utter bewilderment at her latest order.  He was sure that he had nothing to do with Unit 01s strange actions... so how the hell was he supposed to emulate them with Unit 02?  When he didn't answer, Misato sighed softly and leaned heavily against the control panel.

"I'm sorry Shinji... I wish there was more I could do for you.  Once you deploy the weapon we will haul the power cable back in and get you back onto the carrier.  The rest is up to you two."  Shinji looked over at Asuka and found her still clutching her stomach with her eyes tightly closed.  Seeing her pained expression tore him up inside, just the same as when he saw Ayanami's pain during the 3rd angels attack.  _She won't be able to pilot... I'll have to do this myself.  With his resolution firm, he forced the pain from his mind and moved himself to sit in front of Asuka, so that he could grip the controls.  Whilst he didn't know the Second Child very well, he was certain that his current position wouldn't be well received by her, and so he found himself hoping that she was unconscious... otherwise he could be in for even more pain._

Gripping the controls tightly, he closed his eyes and focussed on his link with the EVA.  He could sense a presence, not as familiar as Unit 01s, but inviting and comforting nonetheless.  Though the presence was there and he was synchronised with the Evangelion, he just couldn't get the mecha to respond.  The limitations of the B-type equipment thwarted his every attempt to move.  He thought back to when Unit 01 had protected him, to when it had gone berserk, even to when he had heard the voices, but he couldn't think of anyway in which he had caused such a reaction from the biomachine.  _Damn it!  I could pilot Unit 01 with no training to save Rei, so why I can't I pilot Unit 02 to save Asuka?  He wondered desperately.  Shinji hated to see people in pain, to see them suffering, and he would do anything in his power to prevent it.  But here he was powerless to help, and it ate away at him._

Suddenly he felt something slide over the top of his head, and without warning it grabbed hold of his hair and yanked his head back.  Shinji let out a startled cry before he found himself face to face with a furious looking redhead.

"What the hell do you think you're doing to my EVA?" she growled slowly in a quiet, but nevertheless dangerous tone.  Shinji could still tell that she was in great pain, and the arm which wasn't grasping him was still wrapped tightly around her midsection.  Her grip on his head had weakened slightly and her eyes were only half open, but he had no doubt that she could do some damage if he didn't respond correctly.  

"We have to break free and place the charge in the angel's mouth," he finally said in response to her question.  "Misato said that she can't help us...we have to do this ourselves."  She considered his words silently for a few moments, but due to the pain she found herself unable to argue the point.  She released him and he turned his torso to better position himself for conversing with the other pilot.

"Fine...but don't you ever try to operate my EVA without my permission again," she ordered.  Shinji could only nod an affirmative.  "Alright Third Child.  Move aside and I'll get us out of here..." she whispered weakly.  Shinji looked at her and couldn't hold back a frown at her confidence.  Even though she was barely conscious, she still thought that she could do this by herself.  When Shinji didn't move she decided to be more forward with him, and slugged him over the head.  Fortunately for Shinji, there wasn't any power in the blow and he hardly even flinched from the contact.

"Listen pervert, if you think that you are going to stay where you are you've got another thing coming."  Shinji knew exactly what she was getting at.  Since he couldn't occupy the pilot's seat due to the presence of Asuka, he had plonked himself down right in front of it, sitting very close to the redhead and snugly between her long, shapely legs.  He felt quite sure that were it not for the pain distracting her, he would be a dead man by now.  Summoning his courage from a previously untapped source, he flat out refused to move.

"We can't do this by ourselves.  I've already tried and in your state I doubt that you could do much better.  We're going to have to work together if we want to make it out of this."  Asuka just stared at him.  There was definitely merit to his words... but she was Asuka Langley Sohryu, she didn't need anyone.  She opened her mouth to voice this belief but paused.  Perhaps because of the pain, or maybe it was because of the strange comfort she felt being inside Unit 02, regardless of what it actually was, she didn't argue with him.  She saw his determined look, an expression she had only glimpsed once so far since she met the boy, and decided that their best chance was by working together.  

"Let's do this," she said quietly, but with confidence, and Shinji smiled gently at her before turning around.  He gripped the controls and shifted them back so that Asuka could also reach.  She grit her teeth against the pain as she leaned over Shinji and placed her hands over his.  

"Shinji, Asuka!  Brace yourselves, the cable is about to run out," Misato warned over the communications line.  Asuka swore quietly and pressed herself against Shinji whilst resting her chin on his head, so that when the impact occurred they wouldn't hurt each other as badly.  Shinji couldn't help but blush as he felt her body all but mould to his own.  He could feel everything, her well toned legs against his, her flat stomach against his back, the swell of her breasts against his shoulder blades, her delicate chin on his head and her soft hands over the top of his own.  His mind was instantly bombarded with arousing thoughts of how much closer they could get, but he fought against them.  He had to keep his mind on the EVA if they were going to make it through this, but there was also the fact that the plugsuit he wore was already tight enough as it is...

Mere seconds after her announcement, they came to a jarring halt as the cable reached its end.  Both pilots cried out in pain at the abrupt arrest of momentum, but managed to come through uninjured, thanks to their position and the buffering effect of the LCL.  The angel was caught completely unawares, but its jaw was so tightly locked around Unit 02 that it didn't let go.  It started thrashing around in an attempt to tear the four-eyed EVA away from the cable, but without success.  Since now was their best chance, the two pilots kept their eyes closed and focused on moving the EVA.  They willed with everything they were worth in an effort to make the impossible happen... but it remained exactly that... impossible.  Neither gave up however, since their very survival depended on their breaking free.  For an indeterminable amount of time they strained with everything they had to get Unit 02 to move, but still without success.

Sensing that something else was needed, Shinji opened his mind up to everything he was experiencing.  He could feel his own body, wrapped tightly in his borrowed plugsuit, as well as Unit 02s body with the angel's teeth impaling it, and yet there was also something else.  There was warmth.  He quickly identified it as the warmth of Asuka's body pressed against his own, and despite the seriousness of their situation he found himself relaxing.  He focussed on the warmth, on the comforting reassurance that she was here with him, that he wasn't alone.  He felt a sense of inner peace, the likes of which he had ever experienced before.  With this revelation in mind, he focussed on the foreign girl as well as the EVA, and a gentle smile slowly graced his features.

Asuka on the other hand, wasn't taking things as well as Shinji.  She was facing the bitter possibility of defeat, of loosing her first battle against the angels.  She had devoted her entire existence into being an EVA pilot, and yet here she was staring down at her own imminent death.  She concentrated all of her will, thoughts and emotion on moving the EVA, but it wasn't enough... she wasn't enough.  Distress slowly began to creep over her as the possibility of failure was rapidly becoming more definite.  She'd rather die then admit defeat... though could she say the same for Shinji?  Just why did she insist of him being here with her?  She convinced him as well as herself that it was just so she could show him her superior piloting skills, but was that the real reason?  A part of her conscience whispered that it was because she was afraid, but she quickly tried to silence it.  The voice wasn't so easy to silence this time however, and it continued on its previous course.  It taunted her with possibilities; that she was afraid, that Shinji was a veteran and could help her if she was in trouble; that she couldn't fight by herself.  She mentally screamed for it all to stop and found it harder and harder to focus on her synchronisation with Unit 02.

She could feel herself slipping away and struggled to concentrate on her one and only purpose in life, to pilot Unit 02.  The taunting voice started to fade and she recognised the calming presence of Unit 02, and yet this time there was also something else.  Another presence.  It called to her, beckoned her to join with it, to relax and release all her worries.  Naturally, she was quite suspicious of this, especially because it felt so... natural.  She needed no one, she was a pillar of her own strength... but what it offered was so enticing.  Then it offered that which she craved most... victory over her enemies.  Though still filled with uncertainty, Asuka opened a portion of her mind to the second presence and straight away felt more comfortable and relaxed.  The corners of her lips slowly turned up into a small smile and she felt something she had never felt before... she felt comfortable and relaxed, a state of inner peace which she had never thought possible.

Unit 02 slowly raised its head and a blinding white light suddenly erupted forth from its four eyes.  The inside of the angel was illuminated by the unnatural glow and then the massive humanoid began to stir.  Like the slumbering giant that it was, the red EVA slowly moved its left arm and placed its hand firmly against the bottom jaw of the angel.  With its right arm positioned uselessly on the outside, as well as being encumbered with the N² mine, it had to make do with just one.  With unnatural strength, Unit 02 began to push down with its left arm and slowly but surely, the angel's mouth began to open.  The angel naturally was not pleased by the sudden turn of events, and struggled to keep its colossal jaw locked shut, but found itself being overpowered by the rejuvenated EVA.  Once the teeth started to part, the right arm of the production model was jammed into the mouth and began forcing the jaw further open.  

At the will of its two pilots, the EVA freed itself from the teeth which were holding it in place and added its massive feet to the struggle, repositioning its left hand to the top jaw, so that the right arm was free.  Unit 02 slowly pulled itself into an upright position and managed to stand at its full height inside the mouth of the angel.  Whist the size of the leviathan's mouth was far larger than anything else on the planet; it was being torn open wider than it was designed to.  With violent force, the right arm of the newest Evangelion was thrust forward and it released its cargo deep into the centre of the angel.

"Misato, bring us in," the two pilots commanded in perfect synch, their timing, tone and expression were all exactly the same.  Misato hesitated for several seconds to process this unexpected event, before her tactical mind kicked in and she yelled at the officer to retract the cable at its maximum speed.  For a half a second Unit 02 remained standing inside the angel's mouth, but then it was suddenly jerked backwards, and the only thing keeping the angel's mouth open was removed, causing the immense jaw to snap shut with horrific pressure.  The angel thrashed about in obvious pain at the violation, and immediately began to pursue the culprit.  Analysing the situation, the synchronised pilots came to the same conclusion at the same time.  

"Misato, detonate the mine," they said in unison.  

"Do it," she ordered to the bridge officer, but he hesitated.  

"What about the Evangelion and the pilots?" he wondered, with doubt etched all over his face.

"They are a hell of a lot safer than us, and if you don't detonate the charge now then the explosion might be too close to us," she retorted.  Still seeing hesitation, she narrowed her eyes in anger.  "DO IT!"

Her order left no room for arguing and so the officer hit the button to detonate the weapon of mass destruction.  A muted rumbling could be heard from off to starboard, and everyone watched in anticipation of the explosion.  Not to disappoint, a gargantuan eruption of water vapour exploded vertically from over a kilometre away, and reached several hundred metres into the sky.  Every single drop of water in the immediate vicinity instantly flashed to steam due to the phenomenal heat, and that water which was closest to the blast and survived in its natural state flew outwards in a large wave which quickly washed over the fleet, causing severe damage to some of the smaller ships.  After the wave had subsided, the nearby water quickly flooded in to fill the suddenly empty space the former occupied.  

Everyone looked on anxiously for any signs of Unit 02.  They didn't have to wait very long though, for the demonic warrior plummeted from the sky and crashed into the flight deck shortly after the explosion.  For the umpteenth time that day, the carrier shook violently from the impact, and yet another large dent was made in the flight deck.  Unit 02 remained on its knees for several seconds before it face planted onto the deck and went silent, though its eyes continued to glow dimly.

* * * * *

Inside the entry plug, both pilots blinked a couple of times before coming back to their senses.  The pair were each trying to figure out exactly what just happened.  That they managed to reactivate Unit 02 and destroy the angel was obvious, but what about the strange experience they shared?  Looking around the enclosed cylinder provided no answers and so they turned to each other.  Looking deeply into each others eyes revealed something.  The answers were there to be seen, but Asuka quickly broke the stare.  She saw something unnerving in Shinji's gaze, she saw care and concern.  With the pains of Unit 02 no longer being transferred to her brain, she felt her strength return, and when she looked back at Shinji she found he was still staring at her.  The same look was in his eyes and it continued to unnerve her, so she did what came naturally.  She whacked him over the head.

"Pervert!  Why are you still sitting in my lap?" she demanded, and smiled in satisfaction when he quickly but awkwardly retreated from his position, after apologising multiple times.  With the departure of his body also brought about the departure of his warmth, and much to her surprise she found it less comfortable.  She quickly wrote it off as residual effects of the traumatic battle, and with a shake of the head the thoughts were banished to the back of her mind.  Once he had moved to the side, Shinji started staring absently at the ground before him, deep in thought.  He too was concerned with whatever it was that they experienced, though he remembered that it felt so... right.  They had connected in some fashion, though it was obvious to him that she was denying it.  He was well aware of her confusion and when he looked into her eyes he saw unease, or perhaps even fear.  Why she would fear something that felt so right was beyond him... unless she didn't feel what he felt.  But just what did he feel?

Sighing to himself he leant back against the side of the plug and closed his eyes.  He immediately felt a presence near him and quickly assumed it was Asuka, though why she would approach him after what she had just said was confusing.

_Look out for my Asuka, Shinji; she's not as strong as she pretends to be._  Shinji's eyes snapped open at the unfamiliar voice and he quickly looked around him in search of the identity of the speaker.  He quickly realised that it was only him and Asuka in the plug, and she was still in the command seat, staring at the ceiling.  With sudden clarity he realised that he heard the voice in his head, and that it addressed him by name.  Not only that, but it did sound kind of familiar.  Why did he keep hearing voices inside the EVAs?  Was he really loosing his mind, or was there a greater power at work?  He considered the words.  'Look out for my Asuka, Shinji.'  As far as he could tell she didn't need, nor would she want anyone to look out for her.  She was very self-sufficient and commanding, and he doubted that she would accept a helping hand except in the direst of situations.  

'She's not as strong as she pretends to be...'  That might explain a lot about her character.  She always seemed to have an air of confidence about her, but when things were at their worst during the battle, she turned to him for help and guidance.  And when they looked into each others eyes she quickly broke the stare, and that's when he saw the fear.  _This is a hell of a lot to take in...  I'm going to have to do serious thinking about this_ he thought to himself, and felt a wave of fatigue sweep over his body and mind.  This was truly one of the strangest days of his life, but not in a totally bad way.  Look out for Asuka?  Whilst he had no idea what that would entail, he knew that they would be fighting together and he would do whatever he could to protect her, just like he would for Rei.  She is, after all, one of only three people who knew what it was like to pilot an EVA, therefore even though they have only known each other for a couple of hours, they have a bond.

With his realisation he felt a sense of peace settle over himself, and he was sure that he heard an almost silent 'thankyou' whispered through his mind.  Turning to Asuka he found her subconsciously rubbing her left hand gently across her stomach.

"We should get out of here now," he said, loud enough to get her attention.  She turned to look at him with her vibrant blue eyes.

"Yeah," she finally said quietly, and with that she initiated the plugs ejection sequence and Shinji opened the manual hatch.  Stepping aside he let her out first, before following afterwards to be greeted by a barely standing Misato.  No one noticed the light in the eyes of the red EVA finally extinguish as its pilots left the entry plug.

* * * * *

The battered remains of the United Nations Pacific Fleet slowly limped its way into the Tokyo III port, at approximately 1700 hours.  Three junior high students were sitting around waiting anxiously for the late armada, and they let out a collective gasp as they witnessed the condition of the vessels which made it thus far.  Only one third of the formerly massive fleet were still afloat, and of that third only half were unscathed.  The super-carrier _Over the Rainbow, flagship of the entire Pacific Fleet was the first to dock and begin to offload its passengers.  Dozens of ambulances and transport vehicles were already waiting at the pier, and the hundreds of wounded seamen whom were fortunate enough to survive the destruction of their vessels were quickly taken away to the UN base for medical treatment._

Hikari stood with both hands held to her mouth as she witnessed the spectacle in mute shock.  She had never seen so many wounded people before.  Some were walking off the ship under their own power, some were unconscious on stretchers, and others still were being helped off by their comrades.  Every single survivor had a dismayed look on their faces as they filed onto the emergency vehicles, and not a single one so much as glanced at the three students.  The pain that these men and women went through was so obvious in their expressions, and it horrified Hikari.  The class rep had lived a rather sheltered life, and was one of those naïve people who believed in the reports that always said that no one was injured.  Witnessing the aftermath of a battle first hand was a new experience for her, and so she leaned against Touji for support.

Touji had been watching the procession with a grim expression, as he was fully aware of how ugly the aftermath of a battle could be.  His sister after all, was still in a serious condition in hospital after she was injured during the first battle for Tokyo III.  He had never seen this much suffering firsthand before though.  When Hikari leaned against him he jumped slightly in surprise, and was going to move away before he saw the horrified expression she wore.  It pained him to see her in such a state, and so acting on instinct he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and she leaned more heavily against him.

Even the military nut Kensuke wore a sober expression as the beleaguered survivors were taken away.  His omnipresent camera was inactive for the first time ever.  He may be obsessed with anything military, but he was still a human being and had enough respect for these brave warriors to leave them be.  The procession lasted a good twenty minutes, and in that time not a word was spoken between the stunned trio.  They were all thinking the same thing... what happened to these people?  And more importantly, what happened to Shinji?

Unit 02 could clearly be seen from their vantage point, sprawled facedown on the torn and cratered deck.  The purple blood which had been oozing from its savaged lower torso had long since stopped, and the flight deck had been mostly cleaned of the bloody mess with which it had been coated with.  Kensuke made sure that he had every single little detail of the red EVA on tape, and once he was satisfied, he began scanning every inch of the carrier, not overlooking anything.  The horror of the wounded was quickly replaced by his excitement at the spectacle before him.  

Once it was apparent that there were no more injured to be offloaded, the trio moved closer to the docked vessel and waited just near the ramp.  It wasn't long before the unmistakable figure of Misato appeared at the other end of the ramp, and she tenderly made her way over to the students.  She was followed by two shorter figures, both dressed in skin-tight red suits, though since they were behind the older woman the trio couldn't make out their identities.  Touji and Kensuke both let out a heartfelt sigh of relief when Misato waved at them with a smile, and they both stared shamelessly at her as she closed the final metres between them.

"Hey gang," she said cheerfully before stepping off the platform and revealing the two figures behind her.  

"Hello Misato," the two cooed together and both bowed very deeply out of respect for her.  Hikari also bid her welcome with a respectable bow, but not to the exaggerated extent of the idiot duo.  The figures trailing Misato finally stepped off the platform and the three students focussed their attention on the new comers, which was initially hard for two of them...

The three stared in awe at the two people before them.  They recognised Shinji straight away, as he was standing before them blushing bright red.  His embarrassment at being seen in this tighter than normal plugsuit was making him very self-conscious, and he couldn't meet the gazes of his classmates.  Hikari couldn't control a blush herself as she admired Shinji's figure, and so she quickly shifted her attention to the other figure, hoping Shinji didn't notice her staring.  Touji and Kensuke also shifted their gaze quickly to the other figure and their jaws dropped open at the sight.  

A red haired girl of about their own age stood before them with her hands planted firmly on her hips and a confident expression adorning her face.  The two guys couldn't help but gawk at the way the plugsuit clung to every gentle curve of her body, and even Hikari couldn't help but admire her figure.  Truth be told she was quite jealous, and found her blush intensifying as she realised she was also staring.  Whilst Asuka thrived on attention, she was well aware of which parts of her body were receiving too much attention from two certain boys, and so her famous anger rose to the fore.

"Perverts!"  She screamed before stepping forward and lashing out twice with open palmed slaps, and both boys reeled from the impact.  Both Shinji and Misato cringed from the impacts, as a hand-shaped red mark was left on each boys face, but Hikari made no reaction at all.  She was actually thinking about doing the exact same thing, and so she graced Asuka with a small smile and nod of approval when their gazes met.  Asuka returned the gesture and turned to Shinji to gauge his reaction.  Shinji immediately averted his gaze from her and prayed that she wouldn't find a reason to inflict the same damage upon him.

The two assaulted boys both had a hand on their burning cheeks and it was only the presence of both Misato and Hikari that stopped them from doing anything foolish.  Or rather, stopped Touji from doing anything foolish...  Any further action was interrupted anyway, as a vehicle quickly pulled to a stop before the group.  Dr Akagi was sitting in the rear of the vehicle and she beckoned Misato over to her.  

"Well guys, I'll leave you all to acquaint yourselves."  With this said she turned to Asuka.  "And play nice Asuka."  A scoff and hard glare were her only response.  Misato sighed in defeat and left the children so that she could join Ritsuko in the vehicle.

"So how did it go?" asked the fake blonde scientist once the vehicle was moving.  Misato leaned back into the seat and closed her eyes.  Memories of the battle instantly flooded over her, and she had to force herself to listen to her friend's words.

"It was bad.  We almost lost them both when they went into the ocean."  She said as she continued to look at the insides of her eyelids.   Finally she sighed audibly.  "We should have been more prepared.  I should have seen it coming."  Ritsuko cocked an eyebrow at her confession.

"So you're shouldering all the blame for this?  That's not very realistic.  Or are you just apologising in anticipation of being chewed out?"

"Forget it.  We defeated the angel, and both the pilots and the EVA survived.  Not only that but we recorded plenty of interesting data."  Ritsuko turned her attention to the file she was holding and couldn't contain a look of surprise.

"Misato... this really is interesting data.  Their synch ratios both exceeded their previous maximums," she said in awe.

"Only for a short time, but that's not even the most interesting part."

"Oh?"

"They synchronised with both the EVA and themselves... perfectly."  Ritsuko looked over at her longest serving friend with wide eyes.

"That's not possible."

"Check the data.  Their synch ratios were exactly the same, their heart rate, blood pressure and even their body temperature were all exactly the same.  And just look at their brain waves."  Ritsuko flicked through a couple of pages until she found the desired data.  Their brain patterns, though still unique to each other were changed.  They were both somehow a combination of the two different patterns, a happy medium.

"Do the children know?" she wondered.  Misato frowned at the question.

"I think that they suspect something, they've been acting strange around each other ever since they first met.  Then after the fight they pretty much avoided each other.  Asuka seems to be back to her normal self but I can't tell with Shinji, he's always so reserved with his feelings."

"Isn't it your job to make him open up?"

"Back off Ritsuko.  The last thing Shinji needs is for someone to force him to open up.  He needs gentle nudges, not a forceful push."  Misato put more force into the words then she intended and noticed her friend visibly flinch.  The two eyed each other for a second before both averted their gazes.

"I suppose you'd know best..." Ritsuko finally said quietly.  Misato made no reply.

**Author's notes:**          Well, that was a long one.  This chapter really took off once I started the battle scene and there was just no looking back.  Just a few notes here, I know you're exhausted after reading such a long chapter, but I'm not forcing you to read them or anything... 

If you can't figure it out _Ich__ wusste nicht das du Deutsch sprichst means: 'I didn't know you speak German.'  Thanks to Steve for the translation._

The battle with Gaghiel was very different from the other battles in the series.  Firstly it was fought on water, secondly Asuka and Shinji fought the angel inside the same EVA, and thirdly there were horrendous UN casualties.  This last point I really tried to emphasise, as in the series they take a very light-hearted look at the battle.  Many, many people would have lost their lives with their vessels, and I hope I accurately portrayed just how bad the situation would have been.  With well over 8000 words in the battle alone, I should have been able to do this.

There were a couple of scenes that I didn't include in this chapter due to the fact that I already have more words than I anticipated.  They weren't major or anything so their loss won't really make a difference to the story.  I was going to expand upon a couple as well, but I think that I'll just refer back to them in the next chapter.  

Anyway that's about it.  The battle is really the focal point for this chapter, as well as the strange bond which Shinji and Asuka share, and I hope that it wasn't just a monumental waste of words.  Next chapter we will likely see more of the after effects...or maybe I'll just cut to the next battle... I don't know.  We'll see what my inspiration reveals to me.  Gotta finish the other version first anyway...

Oh well...  I'll be waiting eagerly for your thoughts, praises and criticisms about this chapter; unless of course I don't get any... then I'd feel kinda stupid for waiting for nothing.  But I often feel like that so it shouldn't be anything out of the ordinary for me...  I'll stop now.  

Ezstarius.  


	6. Nothing is Ever as it Seems

**Author's prerant:** I assure you that this is no illusion. Yes, I have managed to complete chapter 6 and even managed to send it to my most trustworthy prereaders for their input, and now I have put it here for you. It's been quite a struggle finding motivation to keep going with this, but I have managed to do so, thanks to the kind words of you, the reviewers. I really wasn't expecting such a response, I merely felt that I owed you all an explanation for the long delay, and for the future delays, but a big, big thank you to all of you who sent me encouragement, it sure as hell helped a lot.

  
I know that it's been a long time since my last update, and I can only hope that it was worth the wait... but whether it was or not is ultimately up to you. As I said before, I have no intention of terminating this fic... but there have been some dark moments which almost resulted in such a thing happening. It was only through a friend that I was able to read the messages you left for me, but know that they were well received, so again, thanks heaps.

And of course, the usual heartfelt thanks to Steve and Alexei for prereading, and being so supportive.  You guys are the best.  Oh and my Australian spelling just isn't good enough for you is it Alexei?!?  ;)

  
I don't know how regular updates will be from now on, but I will make every effort to keep this thing going and hopefully I will be able to update at a decent rate... but only time will tell. But enough from me. Read on, and hopefully you will find it a decent enough read. This is still so very far from finished!

**Chapter 6 – Nothing is Ever as it Seems**

  
Somewhere in Europe...

  
The sun had long since dropped below the horizon, disappearing from view and taking with it the luminescence which shone so brightly during the day. With its departure, the night was left to its dominion over this side of the world, and the sweltering heat which had been so evident during the daylight hours bled away quickly. The artificial lights of the city blinked into existence after their photon sensitive sensors reached their preset level, and a full moon added its significant illumination to the manmade lighting, stealing all but the brightest stars from view. To gaze at the heavens would have been rather pointless on this night, as there was simply not much to see with all the light and the low cloud cover which stretched out over the horizon, leaving only enough gaps for the moon to still be seen in all its glory. No one in this area seemed to notice or care though.

  
A tall, solitary figure made his way through the streets of this city on foot, at a calm, leisurely pace. He knew where his destination was and what time he was expected to be there, so he was in no hurry. Whilst he had no problem with being summoned on such short notice, he did have a problem with the area in which he was supposed to meet. This was a dangerous part of town where thieves, murderers and other assorted scum took refuge from the long arm of the law. Gangs ruled this area and their constant territorial wars resulted in at least a half dozen fatalities a day, with many more injured; though it wasn't these types that bothered this man. These were just your run–of–the–mill cretins; sub–humans whom had no regard for anything aside from their own pathetic existence. 

  
When wandering this part of town, one didn't have to listen too closely to hear the screams of those unfortunate people being tortured, nor those other unfortunates who were begging for their lives, before death would come for them and steal them away from this existence. A tense atmosphere of fear and loathing was as thick as syrup in this place, and the lone man was sickened to the core. The staccato patter of automatic weapons fire could be heard from a couple of streets over followed shortly after by the scream of a mortally wounded person. A sadistic cheer went up from another unknown party at the agonized scream of the victim, but this was quickly cut off by another short burst of weapons fire. This debased act of brutality had no effect on the stranger, as he continued his unhurried pace through this cesspool of despair, hate and suffering. The deaths of these people didn't bother him in the slightest, in fact the death of everyone in this place would be a blessing upon the world... but it was not his place to do so. 

  
He was finally nearing his destination when what he perceived as being the true filth of this place assaulted his senses. Prostitutes roamed around freely, up and down their designated areas wearing virtually nothing save for a see-through coat which feebly attempted to shield them from the cool night. Men of all ages and occupations were approaching these women and disappearing into various hovels along the dirty street with their 'partner,' their wives at home, unknowing or unable to do anything about it. This is what truly disgusted the stranger, this market of humans selling themselves and being taken advantage of, whether by choice or not. His neutral expression tightened into a frown as he wandered past the first few who eyed him wearily. 

  
Most of the people whom glimpsed the lone figure's face in the dim light straight away left him alone and walked the other way. He had an aura of danger and professionalism about him, and his lean, angular face was marked by a dangerous frown which only added to the intimidation factor. His attire consisted of a full length black trench coat which reached all the way down to his ankles and was buttoned closed, hiding whatever else he wore. The collar was turned up, though not against the cool breeze, and his wide brimmed hat sat low on his head, concealing most of his face in shadow. As a final touch, a pair of reflective sunglasses hid his eyes completely from anyone who drew close enough to try to look into the windows of his soul. His apparel and aura were enough to keep most away, but every now and then a particularly adventurous or foolish person would approach him, trying to entice him with their products, whether it be drugs, weapons or women. A dark glare was sufficient to scare off even these few, and it took all the man's self control to not draw a weapon and lay waste to this entire area. 

  
He was rapidly reaching the end of his sanity when he finally entered the dark alleyway which was his destination. Walking confidently despite the darkness, he proceeded down the filthy alley, avoiding the mounds of garbage and other assorted detritus, until he reached a door on his right side. The building which the door was a portal for was nothing spectacular. It was a dirty old two story structure of simple design, which in any other place would likely be targeted for demolition. Its debilitated exterior was enough to keep curious eyes away though, and the man entered without so much as looking over his shoulder. After sealing the door behind him, he walked down a narrow hallway which was just as run down as the exterior. The walls were pockmarked with numerous holes, varying in size from small calibre bullet holes, to fist and head sized craters. Jagged chunks had been taken out of the bare, time weathered concrete beneath his feet and the ceiling above his head looked like it would collapse at any moment. Glancing around as he proceeded, the man noted that there was no new damage to this place since the last time he was here, but he continued to take keen interest in his surroundings until he reached the end of the hallway. 

  
The hall branched to the left and to the right at the end in a T intersection, and so the man went to the left with not even the slightest hint of hesitation. There were several rooms on either side of the walkway, and again without hesitation he entered the second on his left, sealing the door behind him. This room would have been designed as an office originally, but it had long since been abandoned and its original use was now far beyond its crumbling capabilities. This room, unlike previous ones though had a fully intact ceiling, and the walls had numerous scratches and dents, but no holes. Aside from this damage, the walls were also worn through to the plaster, the paint long since having flaked away and there were no windows to offer anyone a view inside. The only furnishings in this room were a single desk and a chair, both made of metal and in far better condition than anything else in the building. In fact they were in very good condition, which begged the question as to why they hadn't been stolen and bartered off to fuel some drug crazed teenager's downward spiral into oblivion.

  
Only a select few knew why this hadn't happened, and only these same few would also know of the number of people whom had disappeared after attempting to do such a thing. The man didn't concern himself with such trivial matters though. He merely moved behind the desk and sat down before inputting a code in a hidden keypad on the surface of the desk. The darkness of the room was promptly shattered by the emergence of a figure seated behind a desk barely more than a metre away from him. Long flowing robes hid the new comer's features, and a hood was pulled over their head to keep their face shrouded in shadow. 

  
"Right on time, as usual," spoke the robed figure in a deep, baritone voice. The other man merely bowed his head respectfully. "We have a new assignment for you, if you will accept it."

  
"My services are always available for the cause, providing the price is right..." the man said casually, with his voice in the lower tenor range.

  
"As you know it will be," the robed figure replied in a neutral tone. "The council has been debating what needs to be done about this group, NERV, for far too long. Decisive action needs to be taken soon, and I do not believe that they are prepared to do what must be done." The tall man frowned thoughtfully at the statement. He had his suspicions on what he would be required to do this time... and he was quite sure that there was going to be some trouble because of it.

  
"The council are too limited in their thinking, they want to tread slowly and carefully, but the fact of the matter is that we don't have enough time for that. NERV must be stopped, and this other group, SEELE, must also be eliminated. The council are devising a way to do this, but they don't know how to proceed. This is where your expertise will come in." The robed man's voice had been carefully neutral throughout the entire conversation thus far, betraying not even the slightest hint of his thoughts or emotions. The tall man respected this, though he was now very aware of what he was going to be asked to do.

  
"Your assignment will be to eliminate the children. There are now three of them, since the efforts to sabotage the transport of Unit 02 failed miserably." A small frown was now etched on the silent man's face. His suspicions on what his task was going to be were correct, as were his suspicions as to the allegiance of his employer. This was a rogue operation, and thus could get very ugly.

  
"Far be it for me to question your motives, but you want me to do this without the consent of your other partners." he stated after a dramatic pause. His tone of voice was not menacing, but firm and serious nonetheless. A deathly silence followed his statement, and although he couldn't see the other man's face, he knew that he was now frowning at him. 

  
"That is not of your concern," the robed man growled, his composure slipping fractionally.

  
"It is when it could jeopardize my assignment, and could result in further complications," he replied cautiously.

  
"You need not worry about such things, as they have already been taken into consideration," informed the robed man. The two men stared at each other for long moments in silence, each considering the other's words.

  
"So you say," whispered the tall man finally, seriously considering knocking back this offer.

  
"This will easily be the hardest assignment we have had for you, and it will pay accordingly. We have good and accurate intelligence on the locations of the three children, as well as what you will be up against. We're not sending you in blind," he said, changing the subject quickly.

  
Another lengthy silence stretched on as the tall man considered this latest attempt to garner his acceptance. Accurate intelligence was imperative if he was to succeed on any given mission, and not having to do all the work himself was encouraging, though he knew he'd be a fool to trust solely in information he didn't gather himself. At least it gave him a starting point... but there was something else which was bothering him.

  
"I have never had a job to take care of children before. Normally I would consider it a waste of time... but I know this instance to be different. It will be quite the challenge to get to them... but I see no satisfaction in dealing with mere children." He kept his tone carefully neutral so as not to offend his potential employer. He had done some work with these people in the past and didn't want to sever future ties with them by showing any disrespect. He could however sense that the other man was getting frustrated with his lack of commitment.

  
"It will indeed be quite a challenge, even for one possessing your skills, but this is an extremely important task, which is why I have come to you first. There are others of course, if you should decline, but they are not as reliable."

  
_He's getting desperate... trying to inflate my ego_ he thought with amusement. His instincts were telling him to decline this assignment, and he knew from experience that his instincts were often correct, but certainly not infallible. Still... work had been slowing lately, and they had promised quite a large sum of money for this task, as well as it being the most challenging one he had been offered to date. Not only that, but he was very interested in the whole situation with the attack of the angels, and this might be his best opportunity to find out more about the situation, as well as about NERV and his current employers.

  
"I assume that this offer will be exclusive upon my acceptance," he ventured cautiously.

  
"Of course", came the quick reply. 

  
_A little too quick..._ he thought suspiciously. He could sit here all night pondering whether or not he should accept this job, but he knew that the other man's patience was finite, and if he didn't answer soon then he wouldn't have to make a choice either way, and when one is no longer able to make choices then they become predictable. A dangerous position for someone in his line of work to be in.

  
"Very well, I accept this task," he said slowly with a single brief nod of his head. The man opposite him breathed a well concealed sigh of relief. 

  
"I am glad that you agree to continue working for us. We shall meet again in two days at the usual place to discuss the rest. You will be expected to travel to Tokyo III straight after that meeting, as time is of the essence."

  
"Very well." And with that the desk and the man disappeared from before him. The assassin remained seated for a long time after his meeting with his current employer. He had yet to turn down a mission, though he knew that he really should have turned this one down. The fact that he was not working for all the partners as he had in the past, but for only one was disturbing. He had never had to deal with this one before, but already he harboured a distrust of the man. He was certainly going to have to watch his back this time.

  
Eventually he pushed aside all thoughts of the future and rose from his seat behind the desk so that he could start his long trek to one of his numerous resting places. The future was always uncertain, but it definitely just became far more interesting.

* * * * *

  
Shinji stood by himself in the darkness of the small balcony of the apartment in which he shared with Misato and Pen^2. A cool but pleasant breeze caressed his exposed skin which wasn't covered by his sleeping attire of an old pair of shorts and a thin singlet, but he didn't seem to notice. He just gazed out at the city which he was conscripted to protect from an enemy which was hell bent on exterminating the human race. The view wasn't exactly spectacular, nor would it be considered prime real estate, but they were several floors off the ground and there weren't any skyscrapers in relative proximity to the building, so he could see some of the slumbering city. The gargantuan corpse of the fifth angel was still plainly visible, even over the top of the skyscrapers in the midst of the CBD. The workers had managed to cut off small parts of its immense bulk, but the sheer size of the beast combined with monetary constraints meant that they weren't making much progress. He absently wondered if they would ever remove the hateful thing. 

  
The city seemed to have shut down for the night, which wasn't surprising considering it was 2 in the morning, but this in itself was a deception. Shinji knew that there were those who didn't sleep, those who kept a constant vigil so that should the enemy attack unexpectedly we would be prepared. Though this was likely just another delusion. The angels had a habit of just appearing out of nowhere and strolling into the city as if they owned the place. And just to make matters worse, each new angel was very different from the last that attacked, the only things that they had in common was that they wanted to destroy us, and they all seemed to project an AT Field. At no point had he been given much notice before being called forth to fight in Unit 01, nor had he been provided with useful intelligence on his adversary, and this bothered Shinji. However, this wasn't the cause for his loss of sleep tonight.

  
Things had been changing a lot lately, and Shinji didn't like change. Another thing he did not like were surprises, and the last battle in which he fought inside Unit 02 with Asuka was just full of surprises. He had been analyzing the events of the battle as best he could in his free time, but he just couldn't seem to come to any definitive conclusion as to exactly what happened. How had he synched with Unit 02 when the language interface was set to German? He wasn't lying to Asuka when he said that he didn't know a word of German... and yet somehow the EVA had managed to translate his foreign thought processes and understand them.

  
As if that weren't strange enough, then there was the even stranger experience they shared when they had to reactivate the EVA underwater with the B-type equipment. Misato had told them afterwards that they had synchronized with each other, and Shinji found that this kind of helped to explain how he felt... though only marginally. Asuka however, had laughed the explanation off, and wouldn't listen to anyone when they tried to tell her otherwise. Shinji shook his head as he thought about Asuka's attitude. Whatever happened was important, Shinji knew this, and yet Asuka just pretended like nothing happened... He really didn't understand how she could act in such a way, but he really didn't know her all that well. 

  
How would Rei have acted if it was her and Shinji in the same situation? Shinji honestly couldn't tell. A month or two ago he felt sure that he could predict her reaction, or rather non-reaction, but she had been changing lately, and quite quickly too. She definitely wouldn't pretend that it didn't happen, of that he was certain.

  
Since the unexpected situation, Ritsuko had the two pilots whom were involved complete test after test, in an effort to more fully understand what happened and to try to do it again... but to no avail. After several days worth of tests, you'd think that Shinji would be exhausted... but he had not had a good nights sleep in days.

  
More tests were slated for after school, and he knew that he should try to get more sleep, but he was fairly certain that he wouldn't get it tonight. Sighing softly to himself he turned away from the view and started back inside. He was caught quite off guard when he discovered that the doorway in which he needed to proceed through was currently occupied by a scantily clad woman who was looking at him with a worried expression.

  
"Still can't sleep huh?" Misato asked him quietly from her position of leaning on the side of the doorframe with her arms crossed under her breasts. She wore her usual revealing silk pyjamas and the breeze blew lightly against them, causing the soft material to cling to her like a second skin. Shinji was now used to seeing Misato in various states of undress, and so he wasn't all that fazed by what she was wearing at the moment. 

  
The two merely stared at each other for a few seconds before Shinji offered her a weak half smile and shrugged his shoulders lightly in response to her question. Misato didn't find his non-verbal response satisfying, but she knew that in order to get anything out of Shinji you had to be patient with him. She continued to study him as she had been doing for the past ten minutes, but he made no effort to say anything. He merely stood there with his back to the railing and regarded her with that wan attempt at a smile.

  
"So, do you want to talk about it?" she finally asked gently with concern evident in her expression and tone. Shinji looked down at his feet for a few moments, considering the question. The recent lack of sleep had done little to dull his thought processes, but he considered just saying 'no' and going back to bed. He was never one to talk about himself to others, as he'd never had anyone he trusted to do so, but Misato was different. She cared for him, perhaps more than she should considering her position, and the fact that she was out here now instead of sleeping meant that she genuinely wanted to know what was wrong. He hadn't said much to her over the past few days as he had been trying to figure things out for himself, but perhaps it would help to voice some of his confusion... Coming to a decision he sighed audibly and turned back around to face the railing, directing his gaze back out into the dim artificial light of the city. 

  
Misato wasn't sure whether or not he was going to say anything, but she came out anyway and stood beside him, enjoying the cool breeze which never seemed to cool the apartment down very much. Neither could honestly say how long they stood there together, just taking comfort in the others presence, but eventually something had to be said.

  
"Everything's so confusing," Shinji finally said in a quiet whisper, almost to himself. Misato nodded her head slowly, not entirely sure if she heard what she thought she heard him say.

  
After several moments she turned her head to glance at him, and found him frowning to himself, though not a frown of anger or annoyance, but rather one of confusion or indecision. Misato opened her mouth to say something, but closed it just as quickly. Saying the wrong thing to Shinji would only result in him shutting himself off from her, so she decided it would be wiser to let him continue on his own. Minutes ticked away slowly as the pair stood together in silence, and Misato started doubting whether or not she made a wise decision...

  
"I don't understand any of this. Everything was so much simpler before... before I came here," he said finally, in a voice only marginally louder than his pervious whisper. Misato nodded sagely at his words, and prayed silently to herself that he wasn't getting depressed again.

  
"Do you wish that you never came here?" she asked in a surprisingly level, but quiet voice. Shinji considered her words in silence for a few moments, weighing up the events of his life in order to give his guardian and commanding officer an honest answer.

  
"Sometimes... but before I came here... I had nothing. I had no friends, no one to care about me, no... purpose. But at least I knew where I stood. I thought that I was finally getting used to things around here... but after that last battle... everything seems so... different." Misato looked at him curiously. She was aware that he had been acting a little different since the last battle, but he always acted differently after a fight with the angels. The toll that each battle took on him was obvious to see, but thus far he seemed to bounce back fairly quickly. The support of her, his friends and colleagues tended to be enough to level things out for him... but it had been three days since the last battle and he still wasn't getting any sleep.

  
"Shinji... just what did happen during the last battle?" she asked him gently. Since Misato was on the bridge of the Over the Rainbow and not in the NERV command centre, the information she received during the battle was very limited. It wasn't until after the battle that she was able to analyze what little data they collected, but that didn't really help all that much anyway. Neither Shinji nor Asuka seemed willing to say anything to anyone about what happened, and they were the only two who experienced the phenomenon. The fact that Shinji was obviously affected by whatever happened was not lost on Misato, in fact it worried her, especially since he hadn't said a word about it yet. 

  
Shinji considered her question for a long time; so long in fact that Misato thought he was shutting himself off from her... again. She could see that he was quite tense, as if he was nervous or anxious about saying anything further. He'd already decided to speak about this now though, so his shoulders slumped slightly and he leant a little more heavily on the rail, as if continuing the conversation was draining what little energy he had left.

  
"I don't know Misato. It was just so... different," he finally replied.

  
"How do you mean Shinji? Was it Unit 02? Or Asuka?"

  
"Both... I guess. When I first hopped into Unit 02, Asuka started it up and it all worked fine... but the language interface was set to German. I don't know a single word of German, Misato... so how could it have started?" Misato considered his words in silence. She had been informed of how Shinji had synchronized with Unit 02 despite his lack of knowledge regarding German, though not even Ritsuko had been able to explain that one. So what was she supposed to say to him? Thankfully he continued on without her needing to make something up.

  
"But that wasn't even the strangest part. I don't know why but... I felt... comfortable in Unit 02. It was like with Unit 01 only... a little different."

  
"What do you mean Shinji? Just what do you feel inside the EVA?" Misato asked curiously. He had never before said anything about what it was actually like inside the EVA, and she was very curious to know. Not just for herself, but also so that she could better understand what it was like for him. Shinji's expression lightened somewhat as he thought about the purple war machine.

  
"It's... warm and... comforting. I feel like I am being accepted, and that I am safe. I don't understand it. There's also a... familiarity... like I've been there before. It wasn't as strong in Unit 02 as it was in Unit 01, but I still felt it." Misato was plain baffled by this point and she couldn't contain the thoughtful frown which gently twisted her features. She knew that there was more to the EVAs then she was told... but just what their secrets were was a mystery which no one seemed willing to share. Shinji continued on in a low voice, oblivious to his guardian's contemplative state.

  
"When things were at their worst during the battle... when Asuka and I were trapped in the angel's mouth... we had to work together to try to get Unit 02 moving. It seemed impossible at first... but then, something happened."

  
"You and Asuka synchronized with each other as well as with Unit 02," Misato said after he paused. For the first time since they had starting talking, Shinji turned and looked at Misato. The two locked gazes and Misato saw the uncertainty in his deep, blue eyes. 

  
"Is that it Misato? Is it that... simple? When it happened... I could... feel Asuka. We connected with each other, and I could sense her thoughts, and I'm sure that she could mine. It just felt so... right. All my fears, all my uncertainty, it just... seemed so insignificant. But then afterwards... it was gone and I feel as though... as though a part of me is missing." He continued to stare at her and Misato found herself turning her head to avoid his gaze. There was a desperation and intensity in his soulful blue eyes which she had never seen before. 

  
Of all the things Misato expected Shinji to confess, this was not one of them. Whilst the whole incident with their synchronizing was strange, she didn't think much more of it... but apparently Shinji had been. He'd experienced something profound... and didn't know what to make of it. She started to wonder just what Asuka thought about it. Whilst Asuka was far more outgoing than Shinji, she had a tendency to hide her true feelings and bury anything which would be painful for her. This would make it harder to get a straight answer out of her than with Shinji. _But that's not important at the moment,_ she thought with a small shake of the head, bringing her thoughts back to the here and now.

  
"So... this is why you can't sleep? Because you feel that something is missing?"

  
"I... I don't know. I just can't get those events out of my mind." Shinji let out another soft sigh, and looked down at the street below their position. Misato continued to look out at the city, though she wasn't seeing any of it. Her mind was off in another place, trying to make sense of what she was told, and what ramifications it might have.

  
Another long silence stretched out as Misato couldn't think of anything to say, and Shinji didn't really want to say anymore. It wasn't really an awkward silence... but it wasn't exactly a comfortable one either. Eventually Misato let out a sigh of her own and turned towards Shinji, gently laying her hand on his shoulder.

  
"Come on Shinji, standing around out here won't help things. You should try to get some sleep before school later. Not only that but you have more tests to run afterwards."

  
"Yeah... I suppose." He mumbled half-heartedly after a few seconds of silence. Misato smiled softly and led him back inside, locking the door behind her. 

  
"And Shinji," she said as he made his way towards his room. He paused at the sound of her voice and turned to face her. Misato stared at him for a couple of seconds before continuing.

  
"Thank you for talking to me. I know I'm not the best guardian... but I am here for you, to listen to your problems or just... for some company. You can always talk to me." Shinji smiled a small but genuine smile, and nodded his head a couple of times before wishing her a goodnight and retreating to his room.

  
* * * * *

  
Later that morning, both human residents of the Katsuragi apartment were up and dressed for the new day; Shinji in his school uniform and Misato in her favourite dark brown, almost black dress with her red flight jacket hanging over the back of a chair. The breakfast ritual went pretty much as usual, with Shinji cooking up breakfast for the two of them and serving them both a cup of steaming tea. Misato, as usual muttered about how she'd prefer beer, but she drank the tea with well-hidden enjoyment. It always made Shinji happy when she drank the tea instead of beer, and seeing Shinji happy was well worth the effort.

  
They spoke about little things, neither really wanting to continue the discussion from several hours earlier, and neither looking any worse for wear after their lack of sleep. Before they knew it though, time had advanced and they had to depart. Misato couldn't resist a parting shot at Shinji though as he was heading for the door though. The shy teenager walked out the front door quickly after bidding his elder farewell, blushing from Misato's farewell teasing. Misato on the other hand was trying not to laugh too hard, since she had done more damage to her ribs during the last battle and they were quite tender. Thankfully the extra damage wasn't severe and she could still perform her daily duties with only a little extra discomfort. She still loved teasing Shinji though, and she had discovered that the best way to do this was to mention something about him and Rei, or him and Maya.

  
Once she had regained her composure and felt sure that Shinji was gone, she made her way over to the fridge and grabbed herself a beer, draining the can as if her very existence depended on it. After finishing her first she grabbed a second and started consuming that one as well. She was willing to drink the tea when Shinji was there... but she sure as hell wasn't going to give up her morning beer! That was just too much to ask of her. As the amber substance made its way to her stomach, she relaxed back against the bench and closed her eyes in contentment. What he doesn't know can't hurt him, she thought to herself, and with this thought in mind she took another sip from the second can. 

  
Memories of last night's conversation came back to her as she stood with her eyes closed, and she spent the next 15 minutes contemplating the various meanings behind her charge's words. Some things were clear, but many more were ambiguous to say the least, beyond either of their comprehension at this stage.

  
_Perhaps Ritsuko could shed some light on the matter?_ Shrugging her shoulders at her unvoiced question, she quickly finished the rest of the can off and dropped it in the bin, before grabbing her jacket and making her way out the door to begin another tedious day of work.

  
The trip to headquarters was uneventful, at least by Misato's standards. She only broke half of the countries traffic laws and didn't cause or nearly cause any accidents involving either vehicles or pedestrians. It was, suffice to say, a miracle. The trip down the car train was as boring as usual, the view limited to the black of the tunnel until the train descended into the Geofront itself. Since the fortress city wasn't in battle formation, the view from above was comparatively plain, but still it demanded a degree of respect and awe. Misato was long since used to the view though, and it no longer impressed her all that much. She merely spent the time going over last night's conversation in her mind, trying for figure out if she had missed anything. 

  
Eventually the train ground to a stop and the armoured doors opened, allowing Misato to drive out and find her reserved car spot. By this point the NERV Captain was starting to get a little frustrated. She had spent the better part of the last three quarters of an hour trying to make sense of things... and she had made no progress at all. People walking by noticed her frown, and assuming the worst, avoided her as she made her way through the countless corridors of Central Dogma. Misato barely noticed this though, and so didn't think much of it. She merely continued to stroll through the complex until she reached a lift at which she had to wait.

  
Several people whom were approaching the lift stopped and turned away to find another one when they saw Misato standing there... yet still she was too lost in her own thoughts to notice. The only thing which brought back a portion of her consciousness to the here and now was the 'ding' of the elevator chime as it stopped on her level. Misato entered the lift and hit the button for her floor, still oblivious to her surroundings, including the two occupants of the elevator.

  
"What's wrong Misato? Shinji hide your stock of beer from you?" asked a coy voice from behind her.

  
Upon hearing her name, Misato blinked and turned around to regard the two people behind her for the first time. Ritsuko Akagi was standing at the back with a clipboard in her hands and regarding her friend with a sly smile. She was dressed as usual in her black skirt with a dark blue blouse and the omnipresent white lab coat. Her assistant, Maya Ibuki was standing beside her mentor and also had a clipboard in her hands, though she was dressed impeccably in her NERV lieutenant's uniform. She offered Misato a smile in greeting. Misato nodded in acknowledgement of Maya before she turned and narrowed her eyes at the head of E project, her words finally sinking in.

  
"As a matter of fact no, Shinji didn't hide my beer," she growled at her friend.

  
"Oh, then what's the problem?" Ritsuko asked, feigning surprise.

  
"It's... well, it's Shinji," she said with a small sigh. Both Ritsuko and Maya looked at her curiously. Ritsuko was about to hit Misato with more sarcasm about her 'family situation' but Maya beat her to it.

  
"Is everything alright ma'am?" Misato looked to Maya and saw her concerned expression and decided that it wouldn't be a problem to let her know of last night's conversation. 

  
"Well... Shinji hasn't been sleeping well the last few nights. Actually he hasn't been sleeping well since the last angel attack."

  
"You don't think that all the tests we've done on him and Asuka are responsible do you?" Maya asked, suddenly feeling very guilty for putting them through such an ordeal. Misato gave Maya a reassuring smile and shook her head.

  
"No, it's not because of that. We... had a talk last night, or this morning if you'd rather." This grabbed Ritsuko's attention. She was aware of Misato's reports regarding the Third Child's recent insomnia, but she like the others had no idea as to what the cause was.

  
"So you finally made Shinji open up did you?" she asked with considerably less sarcasm than before.

  
"Well, a bit anyway. He's... confused. The events of the last battle have been weighing heavily upon his mind, but he can't seem to figure them out."

  
"You mean about his synchronizing with Unit 02?" Ritsuko asked. Misato shook her head.

  
"Not just that, but also when he synchronized with Asuka. I think we need to reassess exactly what happened between those two, because he really has been affected by it."

  
"How do you mean?" asked Maya.

  
"Well, he said that he connected with Asuka, that he could sense her thoughts..."

  
"Well that's what synchronization is, two minds being on the same level and able to predict each others thoughts and actions. That's why we thought it was impossible for humans to be able to synchronize with each other, for two active minds should be completely incompatible." Ritsuko informed without letting Misato finish.

  
"But what about with the EVAs? That's a different kind of synchronization isn't it?" Misato asked.

  
"It follows the same principals, except when the pilot synchronizes with the EVA they gain control of its body through the control interface we've established."

  
"So are you saying that the EVAs have a mind of their own then?" Misato asked eagerly.

  
"In a manner of speaking, yes. You know that the EVAs are organic tissue under all that armour. In order for them to work they have to have a mind of their own, but it is restrained by our control interface so that it is impossible for it to operate without a pilot. Their mind isn't active, so to speak."

  
"And yet Unit 01 has done exactly that. It ripped out of its restraints when Shinji was first here and was going to be crushed." Misato said in a lower voice.

  
"Yes, it did, and we still don't know exactly why that happened..."

  
"I know why it happened, it was protecting Shinji," Misato said levelly as she and Ritsuko continued to stare at each other.

  
"That's merely an assumption with no scientific proof backing it up," the scientist retorted bluntly. Misato narrowed her eyes at her friend, but neglected to keep going. She knew that she would never win a battle of wits with Ritsuko, and she also knew that she wouldn't get anything else out of her. Maya was watching the two silently, not daring to get involved in their argument.

  
"Fine, you are the scientist after all," Misato finally said, though grudgingly. "So then tell me, what exactly happened between Shinji and Asuka? Whatever happened has had an adverse affect on Shinji, and I'd be willing to bet that it has done the same to Asuka."

  
"I don't know exactly what happened. As I said, it should be impossible for two humans to synchronize with each other, and that is why I am running all these extra tests."

  
"Just don't push them too hard," Misato warned, her expression deadly serious. "I'm going to speak with Asuka after the tests; I want to know if she has also been losing sleep over this incident."

  
"Don't worry Ma'am, we won't push them too hard," Maya said seriously, speaking for the first time since her two superiors started. Misato's expression softened minutely at her words. The conversation wasn't exactly over, but the elevator picked that moment to grind to a stop on Misato's level, effectively killing any further conversation.

  
"Well, I guess I'll see you two this afternoon then," Misato said after she stepped out the door and turned to face them.

  
"More than likely," Ritsuko said.

  
"Yes Ma'am," Maya replied formally. The doors then slid shut cutting off any further conversation. Misato quickly turned about and proceeded to her office, not entirely satisfied with her conversation with Ritsuko, but with plenty to keep her mind occupied for the rest of the day. 

  
* * * * *

  
Whilst Misato was tearing through the streets of Tokyo III less recklessly than she normally did, Shinji was slowly making his way to school on foot. He had the ear buds of his S-DAT planted firmly in his ears, and the compact player faithfully converted the information on the tape into sound which was played straight into his aural canals. The familiar music of Iron Maiden's Infinite Dreams echoed in his ears and he was totally oblivious to the world outside his music. His body was acting on autopilot and continued on its usual way through the streets and alleys towards school, whilst his mind raced with images of events past, and questions for which he had no answers. The lyrics of the song continued to play through his ears and mind, and they kept him in his contemplative state as they were close to his current thoughts.

  
He continued on in this state, present in body but not in mind for virtually the entire trip to school. It was actually quite amazing that he didn't wander out in front of a car or into any of the other pedestrians on his way; such is the power of the subconscious. Unfortunately though for Shinji, thinking more about his problems didn't result in resolving them any faster... at least it hadn't thus far. As he was nearing the school he felt his spirits lift somewhat though, as they had done each time for the past few days. It struck him as strange that he should feel more comfortable here, when he was usually less comfortable around people. This was yet another strange occurrence of late for which he had no explanation for.

  
His conscious mind now reasserted its control over his body and he walked through the school entrance and into the courtyard as he would any other day. He was about to make his way inside to his classroom when something, or rather someone caught his eye. He paused in his trek and turned his full attention to the girl who was sitting by herself off to the side, some distance away, staring into space. The unkempt tangle of blue hair was enough for Shinji to be able to identify the person, and so he made his way over her. He was only a couple of metres away when Rei Ayanami turned her head to face him and looked him straight in the eye with her unflinching gaze. Her face was set in her usual neutral expression and her school uniform was worn neatly as always, without so much as a single crease marring its simple design. He couldn't help but smile as he finally stopped by her side and basked in the conservative beauty of the First Child. 

  
_She could have guys lining up for the chance to go out with her if she wasn't so disconnected from life,_ Shinji thought as he let his eyes wander over her attractive yet expressionless facial features. Rei meanwhile, continued to look at him, but to Shinji's delight her expression relaxed into a hint of a smile.

  
"Good morning Rei," Shinji said as he stood besides her, deciding that it would be rude to continue staring at her.

  
"Good morning Shinji," she replied quietly, though loud enough for him to hear. Shinji still wasn't really used to talking to Ayanami, nor having her call him Shinji, but he still enjoyed being near her, it was... reassuring. Her few words uttered in that breathy whisper combined with long pauses often made him lost, but it was certainly something he was willing to get used to.

  
"Do you mind if I sit down?" he asked politely, gesturing to the space next to her on the bench.

  
"I do not mind," she whispered and watched him as he set his bag to the side and sat down next to her. The pair both started staring off into space once the greetings were out of the way. The day would be considered beautiful by most; the sun was still slowly creeping across the heavens with only a scattering of cloud to block some of its indomitable energy, and a warm but refreshing breeze blew across the open spaces. The tree nearest to them swayed gently with the air currents and every now and then a leaf would find itself detached from the branch it was bound to and drift with the currents of air, until it was finally defeated by gravity and gently struck the ground.

  
Shinji watched the progress of the leaf with a strange intensity, from its starting point on the tree to its landing some metres away from its former home. He wondered how much like the leaf that he was... taken from his home and summoned here only to follow the whims and orders of others with no say in the matter. He wondered just where the currents of fate were going to take him, and if he would have such a soft landing as that leaf... or if he would simply crash and burn under the weight of the desires and expectations of others. 

  
"Something is troubling you Shinji," Rei said from his side. The paradoxically melodic sound of her monotonous voice brought him out of his trance and he turned to find her staring at him. He saw a trace of concern in those entrancing red eyes and he found it quite difficult to form any initial coherent thoughts. After several seconds he managed to tear his gaze away from the inquisitive vermilion orbs of his friend, and he merely sighed and looked down at the ground. 

  
"Yes, there is something troubling me," he finally said in a whisper to match Rei's. The pilot of Unit 00 made no reaction to his words; she simply continued to stare at him, waiting for him to continue. Were she anyone else, then she might have become impatient at Shinji's lack of response, but patience was one of her most abundant traits. Shinji seemed to be internally wrestling with what to say to her... or so she thought, and so she felt no need to press him further. His face passed through various expressions before he sighed quietly, having reached a decision. 

  
"How come you haven't been at the harmonics tests?" he finally asked, turning to meet her gaze again. It was now Rei's turn to avert her gaze and she focused her eyes on something in the distance, though whether unable or unwilling to meet his gaze, Shinji wasn't sure.

  
"I have had... other duties to perform," she finally said in a softer voice than normal. Shinji could only just make out her words.

  
"Rei... just what kind of tests have you missing school and the harmonics tests for three days?" he wondered curiously. Rei's silence stretched on for minutes as she wondered how best to answer the question.

  
She and Shinji had become quite close since the incident of the fifth angel, and she knew that she could trust him... but she didn't know how he would react to finding out who and what she really was. She wanted so desperately to tell someone, to tell him, but she wasn't willing to risk their friendship. The fact that the Commander ordered her not to tell a soul didn't affect her decision in this instance. Were it anyone else who asked then she simply wouldn't have answered, but she felt that she had to tell Shinji something. This compulsion was very alien to her, though only mildly unsettling as compared to some of her other new emotional reactions.

  
"They are tests which are designed to find ways to improve piloting. They are very long and draining, and they only need one pilot to complete them," she said, her features tightening into a small frown. Shinji assumed that her frown meant that she didn't enjoy the tests, but he had no idea of the truth of the matter, nor the fact that Rei had lied to him... even if it was only a slight twist of the truth.

  
"I'm... sorry that you have to do those tests Rei. I had no idea that they would be so... unpleasant." Still Rei refused to meet his gaze. Whilst she didn't outwardly show it, Rei felt an unpleasant constricting feeling in her chest, the opposite of the one she normally felt around Shinji. It was most disagreeable, and it was also quite new to her. And this time she couldn't ask Shinji what it was... since she knew it was related to her misleading him. An uncomfortable silence fell over them as Rei was unknowingly feeling guilty about lying to Shinji, and Shinji was feeling guilty about making Rei feel... well... guilty, even though he himself didn't realize it...

  
"I'm sorry Rei," he said quietly in an effort to alleviate the uneasiness. Rei finally turned her attention back to Shinji, and his downcast face.

  
"For what?" she inquired, a trace of confusion entering her voice. Shinji neglected to meet her gaze, finding the well worn patch of grass at his feet to be safer to look at.

  
"For bringing up an unpleasant topic, and making you feel uneasy," he said softly. Rei blinked in confusion. She couldn't figure out how he thought that it was his fault, and didn't know what to say to his apology. After not receiving an answer for some time, Shinji raised his gaze to Rei who was still staring at him in confusion.

  
"Sorry..." was all he could think to say when encountered with her confused expression... but this only made the socially inept girl even more confused. They both turned away from each other and regarded something in the distance, again, neither sure of what to do or say. It was at this time that Shinji noticed that people were starting to move past them and towards the front gate. He didn't really think much of the migration though; since his mind was on other matters. Rei too noticed the procession, but the actions of her fellow students meant nothing to her, so she didn't even give it a second thought. She could feel that Shinji was uneasy though, and she knew that it wasn't to do with their last discussion.

  
"Why have you not told me what is bothering you?" she asked without turning to face him. Shinji's features tightened minutely in surprise at her perception. People could call her cold and emotionless, and completely ignorant of everything around her... but they just didn't know Rei like he did.

  
"You're very perceptive Rei," he said slowly in admiration. She made no reaction to his praise.

  
"Well... I guess the events of the last battle have been weighing heavily upon me."

  
"How so?" she asked after he didn't continue.

  
"Well... I don't know if you heard about what happened with me and Unit 02... and with me and Asuka."

  
"I was briefed on the series of events which led to the destruction of the sixth angel," she stated matter-of-factly. Shinji nodded absently at her affirmation. He was considering how best to ask the questions racing around in his mind when a nearby presence derailed his train of thought.

  
"Guten Morgen Shinji," spoke an overly cheerful voice from his left side. Shinji looked up in surprise and was shocked to see the smiling face of Asuka beside him. She was standing resolutely with her bag slung over one shoulder and an air of supreme confidence about her. The gentle breeze blew several stray strands of her luscious red hair into her face, but she made no move to brush them away. The smile on her face looked genuine enough, and Shinji couldn't help but notice how much more beautiful it made her look.

  
"G...guten... morgen... Asuka," he stammered in surprise at her sudden appearance and cheerful countenance, whilst rising to his feet out of respect. He also couldn't help but notice the large groups of students gathering some distance away and watching Asuka's every move, in fact, they only made him uncomfortable. 

  
"What's with the gloomy welcome? You should be happy to be graced with my presence, most guys would be envious of you," she said proudly.

  
"That's what I'm afraid of..." Shinji muttered under his breath, whilst looking off to the side.

  
"What was that?" she wondered, still maintaining her cheerful attitude. At hearing her question, Shinji's head snapped back so that he was looking at the redhead again.

  
"Uh... nothing. It's... good to see you Asuka," he said, managing to summon a convincing smile.

  
"Well of course it is. Not only am I the best EVA pilot but I'm also the most popular girl in school," she stated, as though it were common knowledge. Shinji just nodded in agreement, not willing or honestly able to contradict her. Asuka waited for a couple of seconds for Shinji to say something, and when he didn't she turned and regarded the girl next to him for the first time. Something about the girl made Asuka a little... uneasy, although she wasn't sure just what it was. Shaking off the thought she turned back to Shinji and her uneasiness disappeared.

  
"So Shinji, who's this poor girl you're harassing?" she asked with an arced eyebrow once it became obvious that he wasn't going to continue the conversation. Shinji could feel his face heating up in embarrassment and he dropped his gaze, unable to meet her teasing expression. Why did everyone seem to enjoy teasing him so much?

  
"This is Ayanami... Rei Ayanami." he mumbled, looking up at Rei as he introduced her. Asuka cocked the other eyebrow as she looked over to Rei. All thoughts of teasing Shinji further disappeared as she realized who Rei really was.

  
"Rei Ayanami? You're the First Child?" she asked with surprise entering her voice. Rei merely looked up at Asuka impassively.

  
"Yes," Shinji said for her, since it was obvious she wasn't going to say anything for herself.

  
Rei looked Asuka squarely in the eyes with her unflinching gaze, and the other girl met her stare with conviction. She continued to look at the new pilot for long seconds and much to her surprise she saw something familiar... something she hadn't seen since she first met Shinji. Though it was well hidden behind the cheerful façade, Rei could sense... vulnerability. This girl, the pilot of Unit 02 had suffered, much like Shinji had, except... she was denying it? Rei blinked in surprise at her revelation, as this was a most unexpected event.

  
The First Child continued to look at the now uncomfortable Second Child, seeing past some of her time strengthened defenses and through to her true self, as only she could do. Though Rei may not have much experience with human emotion or interaction, she could sense certain things about people, even things which they would try to keep hidden. It was now quite apparent that Asuka was not completely unlike Shinji, or herself for that matter, though she seemed to be far more outgoing. The similarities though made her feel slightly more comfortable around the new pilot. They all had something in common... they all had suffered much in their short lives.

  
Asuka meanwhile was becoming increasingly unnerved by the intense stare she was receiving. It felt like this blue haired, red eyed girl was looking straight into her soul, through all her carefully fortified defenses, and she didn't like that feeling. Her pride though wouldn't let her look away, for that would be a sign of weakness. So she maintained the contest of wills, and with every passing moment she become more and more uncomfortable, and yet more resolute not to falter. 

  
Shinji, for his part was watching the staring contest in silence. It seemed that the whole world had come to a stand still; waiting to see which of the two girls would falter first. He was fairly sure that he knew how Asuka was feeling at the moment, as he was quite uncomfortable the first few times he was exposed to Rei's intense gaze. He shifted his attention between the two girls, watching their reactions, and it wasn't long before he could see Asuka's cheerful expression starting to fall. He soon decided to interject before she became angry.

  
"Uh... Rei is the pilot of Unit 00," he said slowly, with uncertainty, as it was the first thing that came to mind. Rei and Asuka both blinked and turned to face him after his comment, both wearing strange expressions since their contest of wills was interrupted. Well, Asuka was wearing a strange expression, Rei had what appeared to be the trace of an expression on her face, which for her would be considered strange by most. Looking between the two again, he felt quite nervous with the two most beautiful girls he had ever met focusing all their attention on him. The tense moment passed rapidly though, since Asuka was quick to recover her senses.

  
"Well of course she is, she is the First Child after all," Asuka said sarcastically, with the slightest hint of uneasiness in her voice, before resuming her cheerful expression through sheer force of will. The proud German girl attempted to push all thoughts of the recent experience to the back of her mind, and turned back to face Rei. Looking into those suddenly very expressive red orbs, she refused to be intimidated by their surprising intensity. Despite her best efforts though, she couldn't shake the strange feeling that there was far more to the First Child then was first apparent, and she just had to know more.

  
"Well, I'm Asuka Langley Sohryu, the Second Child and designated pilot of Evangelion Unit 02. Let's be friends," she said in a flourish whilst extending her hand. Rei merely looked at her offered hand for a few moments before looking back into her eyes. She was familiar with the western form of greeting, but that wasn't what made her hesitate.

  
"Is friendship not something which is earned?" she asked of the redhead. Asuka frowned at her question, her happy expression falling somewhat.

  
"What? You think that you are too good to be my friend? Is that it?" she asked with a hard edge to her words. Shinji saw no reaction from Rei, and since Asuka didn't know her, nor did she have much patience, he could only see this ending badly. Thus he felt that he needed to intervene if he wanted these two to be anything other than enemies.

  
"That's not what she meant Asuka. Rei... doesn't have much experience in such matters." Asuka turned to look at Shinji with a questioning look.

  
"And you do?" she asked sarcastically, her hand still extended towards Rei. Shinji ignored her comment and instead turned to Rei.

  
"Rei, considering the circumstances, I don't think it would be a bad thing to place your trust in Asuka. We are all EVA pilots, and we'll have to trust each other on the field of battle... so it would be beneficial if were all friends as well." Rei turned to Shinji with what he recognized as a questioning look. He merely nodded to her with a small smile and watched as Rei turned her attention back to Asuka. The German was getting impatient with Rei's inaction and was about to say something when the pale girl slowly reached out and grasped Asuka's hand in her own. Asuka pumped their clasped hands firmly before releasing and eyeing the slightly shorter girl.

  
"Well aren't you just the life of the party?" she muttered loud enough for the other two children to hear. "And I thought Shinji was dull..." Shinji frowned at her comment, but knew that there was no point in arguing with her. He had yet to win a single argument with the fiery redhead, and it wasn't always through lack of trying...

  
"Well First Child, why don't we get acquainted then?" she asked of the other girl. Rei paused to consider her offer, but Asuka wasn't going to give her the time. She gestured to Rei to follow her and started walking off. Rei watched Unit 02s pilot walk off but made no immediate move to follow.

  
"You might as well follow her, it will be good for you to get to know her better," Shinji offered. Rei turned to Shinji and considered his words in silence for a couple of moments, before she nodded once and followed after Asuka.

  
Shinji watched as Asuka led Rei off, engaged in a very one sided conversation. He merely shook his head in awe and made his own way into the classroom. He really didn't expect Asuka to be so... friendly with Rei, but Rei needed friends, and so hopefully they could build a friendship. He smiled at the thought.

  
* * * * *

  
Meanwhile, just inside the school building a certain class representative was on her way to the classroom, a little later than she normally was. She accidentally put the wrong ingredient in when she was making lunch for her and her sisters, so she had to start over from scratch which took quite a while to do. It was only out of habit that she tasted her meal before packing it up for the others, but it was fortunate that she did... for it tasted awful. This cost her valuable time, but despite the setback she still managed to get to school before most others. She was a methodical person, who tried to plan ahead for such situations, and this time it certainly paid off.

  
She had noticed Shinji and Rei sitting together in silence when she entered the school grounds, and was tempted to go and say hi to them, but they looked like they were having, or about to have a serious discussion, so she decided against it. So it was that she didn't divert her course and went straight to the building with the intention of checking the classroom to make sure it was ready for when their teacher showed up. She knew everything would be, but at least this way she'd be able to have something to keep her mind busy... so she wouldn't have to think about certain things... or people.

  
"Hey Hikari," called a friendly voice from behind her. The pigtailed girl stopped her room-bound movement and turned around to see who was calling her name. It took only a moment for her gaze to settle upon the smiling face of Ayumi, one of her closest and longest standing friends. The shorter girl was walking at a brisk pace to catch up with her, and within seconds they stood face to face.

  
"Hey Ayumi, how are you?" she asked courteously. 

  
"Not bad I guess... how are you?" she reciprocated. Hikari's expression fell fractionally at the question but she still managed to keep at least a touch of cheerfulness in her voice.

  
"Oh, I'm fine," she said. Ayumi arced an eyebrow in a questioning gesture, though Hikari made no effort to elaborate. She merely started fidgeting with the hem of her school dress.

  
"So what's the problem then?" Ayumi asked, her expression changing to one of mild concern. A range of emotions played across Hikari's face before she finally sighed to herself and gestured for them to continue on to the classroom. Ayumi fell into stride beside the class rep, watching her expression carefully.

  
"It's... well, I..." she started, before sighing again. "It's nothing," she finally mumbled. Ayumi was quite a bright girl, but it didn't take a genius to figure out that something was troubling her friend.

  
"Let me guess... your problem wouldn't be tall, with dark hair and usually clad in a black tracksuit now would it?" she asked with false innocence. Hikari quickly turned to face her friend who merely looked at her with an expression that matched her tone.

  
"How... how did you know?" she asked with a small voice.

  
"What else could get you down? You're always so cheerful, and you haven't spoken a single word about the time you went with the 'idiot duo' to the docks to meet Asuka." Hikari considered her words and nodded slowly at their wisdom. Her friend was certainly perceptive. 

  
"It... didn't go all that well. We went down there and waited for over an hour before the ships arrived... and when they did they were badly damaged. You know how the news report said only a few were injured?" Ayumi nodded her head in acknowledgement.

  
"Well there must have been hundreds who were injured... and Asuka said that hundreds more died in the battle. It was horrible." Ayumi looked at her in shock. She, like Hikari, was a bit naïve when it came to believing the propaganda the media broadcast, but she knew that Hikari wouldn't lie to her... especially since she had seen it with her own eyes.

  
"That's terrible!" she whispered with her shocked expression changing into one of profound sadness. Hikari nodded her head sagely in agreement.

  
"We watched them take the wounded off the ship when it arrived in port. They spent ages taking them off, some were on stretchers, some were helped by comrades and others walked off on their own... but they were all so... defeated. I couldn't stand to look at them." She closed her eyes for a moment at the memory, but quickly opened them again when images of the more seriously injured were conjured up by her mind. Ayumi now had one hand held over her mouth, and wore a very distraught expression on her face.

  
"Touji, and even Kensuke were pretty shaken up by it... but I was... horrified. I leant against Touji for support... and... he put an arm around me. It was... nice, really nice. I've never felt more... comforted." Her expression picked up a little at the memory, and Ayumi let her hand fall from in front of her face as she pictured her best friend being supported by the guy she had a crush on.

  
"So... then what happened afterwards?" she asked in a small voice, still somewhat shocked by the earlier news.

  
"Well... afterwards, I thanked him, and he said it wasn't a problem... and then he just, acted like nothing happened. He didn't say another word to me the rest of the time." Ayumi's rapidly changing expression now shifted to a frown of disapproval.

  
"He... he didn't do anything else?" she asked, surprise evident in her voice. Hikari just shook her head sadly. 

  
"I don't think he likes me. I even tried taking Ryoko's advice and acted more outgoing and upfront... but I don't think he's interested." Hikari was almost on the verge of tears now, and Ayumi looked at her sadly before gently pulling her into a hug. 

  
"It's alright Hikari... he's probably just confused... he's not part of the idiot duo for nothing you know," she added coyly. Hikari smiled slightly at the combination of their contact and her words.

  
"And besides," she said as they pulled apart. "What were you thinking taking Ryoko's advice?" Hikari looked at her in surprise before she sighed and shrugged her shoulders.

  
"I don't know... it seemed like a good idea at the time..."

  
"I can't believe that you even told Ryoko..." the shorter girl muttered, with a small shake of the head.

  
"I didn't... she figured it out and threatened to make a big deal of it if I didn't tell her..." Hikari said with a sigh. 

  
"Yeah, that sounds like Ryoko alright. But I still can't believe you actually took her advice. Since when has Ryoko ever had a good idea?" she asked sarcastically, though with a disarming smile. Hikari looked at her and smiled more genuinely.

  
"Hey!" called a voice from behind them. "I take offence to that!"

  
The two friends turned around to see the very person they were talking about marching down the corridor with her hands on her hips and an indignant expression obvious on her face. She was quite tall for a girl her age, and her dyed green hair made her stand out even more. Taking long strides, the tall girl quickly made her way over to them and looked from one to the other, maintaining her indignant expression. 

  
"So what's this about me not having any good ideas?" she demanded in an almost hostile tone. Hikari looked to Ayumi who wore her trademark innocent expression.

  
"I don't know what you're talking about..." she said in a sweet voice. Ryoko narrowed her eyes at the shorter girl.

  
"Don't play games with me... I heard you say it!" Ayumi broke out into a grin at her words and nodded her head.

  
"Oh, alright. I was talking about your great advice about picking up guys." Ryoko looked at her friend with a shocked expression.

  
"And just what do you mean by that?" she asked suspiciously, using her superior height to try to intimidate her friend... without success. Ayumi merely looked up at her slyly.

  
"More specifically, your advice to our good friend Hikari here," she continued. Ryoko looked from Ayumi to Hikari, who was watching the two with a bemused expression.

  
"What? If she ever wants to have so much as a chance of getting that jock's attention then she has to be more forward. He's too thick for subtlety..."

  
"Hey!" Hikari said. "He's not stupid... he's actually quite smart." She said in defense of the absent boy.

  
"Whatever," her tall friend said; rolling her eyes at what she thought was wishful thinking. Hikari looked first at Ryoko who was now leaning against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest, then to Ayumi who was standing beside the taller girl with her hands clasped before her. Ryoko wore an indifferent expression, whilst Ayumi had a small smile on her face, which seemed to be her natural expression.

  
"So what should I do?" Hikari asked of them. The two girls looked at each other, and Ryoko merely shrugged, before looking back down the corridor, whilst Ayumi looked back at Hikari.

  
"Just, be yourself, and be patient. He'll come around eventually... unless he really is as stupid as Ryoko thinks..." the comment elicited a scoff from the green haired girl. Hikari considered her words carefully in silence for long moments, before she reached a decision and nodded her head firmly. 

  
"Alright... be myself... I can handle that." She said with some confidence seeping into her words. Ayumi smiled warmly at her.

  
"Of course you can. So stop being so depressed, everything will work out in the end." Hikari smiled weakly at her words and again nodded her head slowly in agreement. 

  
"Thanks, you guys."

  
"No problem," they said in unison. 

  
"Well... class will be starting shortly, so we better get to it," Hikari said with confidence.

  
"Yes ma'am," Ryoko muttered sarcastically, whilst Ayumi just nodded in agreement. The three then made their way to class to prepare for another day of learning.

  
* * * * *

  
The rest of school time passed without any major events. The sensei was teaching them history again, and as usual he lost himself in memories of times past, before the event known as Second Impact. He tuned everything out and his eyes glazed over as he began to recount incidents which occurred before any of the students were born, talking to no one but himself. The rest of the class continued on this way until the bell announced that the school day was over and it was time to leave. The sensei was finally brought back to reality and dismissed the class, and Hikari performed her usual farewell duties before the mass of students charged to the door and out to freedom. The three stooges, as they were now known, courtesy of Asuka, strolled out together after most of the other students and slowly made their way out to the front of the school. Kids were walking or running everywhere, a mass of students who wanted nothing more that to get out of this place of learning and away to something which they would actually enjoy doing. 

  
As they exited the building, Kensuke was talking excitedly and making animated gestures to his two friends about the incident several days before regarding the Pacific Fleet, but the other two boys barely registered a word of it. They had heard Kensuke's ramblings everyday for the past three days and were sick of it, and yet neither felt like telling him to shut up, since they were friends after all. They merely nodded and mumbled a 'yeah' every now and then to give the impression that they were listening, whilst they slowly trudged along the footpath to the front gate and started their trek home. Each of them had to head in the same direction for the first part of the journey, so they walked together until they had to part ways. However, they had only managed to get a few metres out of the school grounds when a commanding voice brought all three of them to a stop.

  
"Where do you think you're going, Third Child?" demanded a distinctly female, and unwaveringly authoritative voice from behind them. Shinji subconsciously tensed at the tone of voice and slowly turned around to confront his questioner. He wasn't at all surprised to find the imposing figure of Asuka walking up to the school gate with her hands balled into fists and firmly planted on her hips. She had one eyebrow raised and a deadly serious expression on her face as she waited for Shinji to answer her question. The other two stooges eyed the questioning girl with distaste and Touji couldn't help but say something.

  
"We're getting away from you, what did you think we were doing?" he growled at her, feeling safe due to the distance between them. Upon hearing his comments, Asuka directed a withering glare at the jock, and suddenly he felt that the distance between them was far too close for his liking...

  
"So, the primate has been taught to speak, what an achievement," she hissed venomously. It was now Touji's turn to send her a withering glare, but it paled in comparison to the headstrong girl's. Once the exchange started, Kensuke was slowly back-pedaling, putting distance between himself and Asuka as well as between himself and Touji, in case he should he push her too far. They both had first hand experience of the fury of the redhead, and he was certain that they got off lightly last time. Shinji meanwhile was frowning at both Asuka and Touji for their petty insults.

  
"I'm going home," he said in answer to Asuka's question, before his spontaneous friend could hurl another insult and antagonize her further. Asuka turned her attention to him, her expression lightening only marginally.

  
"What are you stupid?" she wondered rhetorically. "We have tests to run. They want us at HQ right away." Shinji blinked in surprise, and then remembered that she was correct. 

  
"Oh," he whispered. "You're right. I guess I... forgot," he muttered, surprised that he would forget something as important as a scheduled test. Asuka just shook her head in disappointment.

  
"You really are useless. Come on Third Child, we don't want to be late."

  
"And just why the hell would he want to walk with you?" Touji demanded, standing up taller in an effort to use his superior height to his advantage. Asuka grit her teeth in annoyance at the persistence of the boy.

  
"Because genius, we are both going to the same destination and have the same duties to perform. It is therefore convenient for us to walk together." She sounded out each syllable as if talking to a 3 year old, mocking the jock and adding enough force to each word to sufficiently threaten him. Touji just looked at her silently, having no comeback for her logic. Asuka didn't bother to wait for him to reply anyway, she simply closed the distance between herself and Shinji, grabbed his collar, and started dragging him away from his friends in the direction of NERV headquarters. 

  
"You... you want us to go with you Shinji?" Kensuke yelled after him, feeling obligated to at least try to help him, and yet secretly praying that he'd say no. Shinji didn't have much of a chance to reply as he was hustled away, and Touji growled deep in his throat and started marching after them, only to be stopped by Kensuke's hand on his arm.

  
"Let them go man, you'll only make things worse," he warned Touji, as he saw an unhealthy gleam in his friend's eyes. Touji opened his mouth to tell Kensuke just how much worse he would make things, but Kensuke beat him to it.

  
"Discretion is the better part of valour my friend, there will be plenty of time later for a counter attack." Touji looked at him quizzically, not really understanding his first comment, but the latter he understood very well. Kensuke sighed in relief as the tracksuit clad youth sighed and nodded his head.

  
"One day... One day, she's gonna get what she has coming," he swore to himself. Kensuke nodded his head in agreement, and the two friends made their way in the other direction from the retreating pilots.

  
* * * * *

  
"Could your friends be any more annoying?" Wondered Asuka out loud, as she and Shinji made their way through the systematic layout of the city for which they were responsible for guarding.

"And could they possibly be any thicker? I don't know how the hell you put up with them," she continued, without so much as a thought of how Shinji would feel about her insulting his friends.

  
Though he had only known the girl for a few days, he already had a decent understanding of how she thought and acted, or so he believed, so he didn't take her insults personally. Glancing over at her briefly, he saw that she was staring ahead vacantly, with her eyebrows lowered fractionally and a slight pinch to her features, as she was no doubt thinking about just how much his friends annoyed her. He couldn't help but smile, a very small but genuine smile at her reaction, though he had no idea why he had such a reaction, when he should be upset at her for her comments.

  
"They aren't perfect, but they are good people. And aside from Rei, they are the only friends I have at school," he answered levelly, with a small shrug of his shoulders. Asuka scoffed at his defense of what she deemed to be 'pathetic little boys.'

  
"Oh they are so very far from perfect. In fact, I can't see anything good about a couple of perverted idiots like them... And don't think for a second that you're any different either." She couldn't help but throw in the barb at the end with a disdainful shake of her head, causing her abundant mass of fiery red hair to dance around like a flame in a gentle breeze. Shinji didn't even bother to glance over at her after the comment; he merely kept his eyes on the footpath a couple of metres in front of him. The thoughtless manner in which she threw out insults was frustrating for Shinji, especially when he was the target of them, though again, they didn't hurt as much as they should have. He figured that he must simply be getting used to her manner, radically different as it is, which was surprising really, since he had only known her for a several days. That isn't to say that he didn't take offense to these comments though.

  
"I'm not a pervert," he whispered defensively with conviction, though not with much confidence. Again, Asuka scoffed at his words but refrained from making anything more of it. Normally she'd have an entire arsenal of insults to throw at him, or anyone in his position, but at the moment she felt no desire to do as such. She continued along her way, walking a step in front of Shinji at a brisk pace which she knew he was struggling to maintain, though to his credit he hadn't complained yet. 

  
Everything was a competition to Asuka, nothing was done without reason or purpose, and everything was always done to test those around her. Most failed to live up to her very high standards, though she hadn't fully made up her mind about Shinji yet, as she had for his friends. She initially thought that she could put him in the same group as every other boy she'd ever met, but she was starting to doubt that. There was definitely something different about him, actually he was the complete opposite from almost every other boy she had met, and so she had to test him more than most. All things considered he wasn't doing too badly, but he had a long way to go before she'd accept him as being anything other than a 'little boy.' Her reverie was abruptly interrupted by a timid voice.

  
"Ah, Asuka?" Shinji asked quietly of the occupied girl. They had been walking for about 10 minutes in silence, and Shinji spent all that time building up his courage to ask her the question which he had been dying to ask all day. Unit 02s pilot blinked herself partially back to reality at the sound of his voice, though made no effort to turn and face him, as she was still partly occupied with her inner thoughts.

  
"Hmm?" she mumbled absently, her multitasking capabilities obviously not stretching to her voice at the moment. Shinji glanced sideways at her and wasn't convinced that she was actually listening, but felt it wiser to just ask her the question which had been looping in his mind all day, and not to do anything which might aggravate her. 

  
"How did things go with... with you and Rei today?" he asked timidly, immediately returning his gaze to the footpath in front of him. His question was met with silence. Shinji started to get very nervous when she didn't answer him, but decided to keep silent as she might be simply considering his question. After some time though, he cautiously looked over to his companion to find her still looking ahead and started to suspect that she hadn't heard a single word he said.

  
"Asuka?" he asked a little louder than before, hoping for more of a response this time.

  
"What?" she demanded in an irritated tone of voice, turning to give him her full attention this time. Shinji blinked in surprise at her hostility and considered just letting it be, but he simply had to know.

  
"I was just wondering how things went with you and Rei today?" He asked with more confidence than he felt under that scrutinizing gaze. His question obviously caught Asuka off guard, as she blinked in surprise at his question and her face went momentarily blank until his words registered. Sensing something more to the question than what was asked, the young prodigy narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the pilot of Unit 01, trying to gauge the answer from him wordlessly... without success.

  
"What do you care?" she wondered with an impatient edge cutting in through her words.

  
"Well... Rei is my friend, and she doesn't have anyone else to really talk to aside from me," he said quietly, raising his left shoulder slowly in a shrug. "I was just wondering what you thought of her." Asuka continued to look at Shinji in a suspicious manner, and Shinji found it impossible to keep eye contact with her. He let his eyes stray back to the path before him as they continued on their way, walking past yet another of the skyscrapers which dominated the area.

  
"She sure is weird," Asuka finally said after a long pause. "Can't say I'm surprised that she has no friends since her social skills are non-existent. Just how are you supposed to have a conversation with someone who won't talk?" She wondered out loud. Shinji nodded in understanding, but refrained from saying anything, since he sensed that she wasn't actually asking the question of him. He was completely oblivious to the irony of his choice.

  
"She sure needs a lot of help, though with you trying to teach her social skills I'm surprised she hasn't become worse. Fancy that, the blind leading the blind..."

  
"I was the only one willing to try," he said in a small, sad voice, ignoring her last comment. He remembered how Rei was before the battle with the fifth angel, how she wouldn't associate with anyone. It was almost as if she didn't have a mind, or any will of her own. He couldn't help but shake his head slowly at the memory, and how it was only after the strange series of events during that battle and afterwards that they even became friends at all. She had come a long way since then, and Shinji knew it was because of him. For once he had done something right.

  
Asuka glanced over at Shinji who was running over memories in his mind's eye and watched how his sad expression slowly changed into a small smile. She wondered just what he was thinking about, but quickly stopped that line of thought... she really didn't want to know what he could be thinking of...

  
"Well, I suppose it's lucky that I showed up when I did then," she said a little louder than necessary. This had the desired affect, as Shinji was jolted back from his thoughts and turned to look at her with a slightly confused expression.

  
"If I had been much later then there would be no hope for the girl at all... but as it is, I think I can still help her. Just being seen with me should do wonders for her image, and there's no one better to teach her how to be social then yours truly." Shinji smiled at her words, as bold and confident as ever. He noted the way in which she held herself, shoulders back, chin up and every word spoken with conviction. He wished that he possessed even a fraction of the confidence that Asuka had, but knew that it was something that would never be. But that wasn't what made him smile. He just helped Rei to make a new friend.

  
"Thank you Asuka," he said, maintaining his smile. He stared straight into her eyes without flinching, and even if he hadn't spoken the words, she would have seen the appreciation in those deep, ultramarine pools which conveyed all the emotion his words were inadequate to share. Asuka herself couldn't help but smile a small but genuine smile back as the sheer depth of his thanks to her brought a warm feeling to her. She managed to reign in control of her emotions very quickly though, and soon the confident, better-than-you look returned, but Shinji had already seen a side of Asuka he hadn't witnessed before. A softer and maybe even caring side which she seemed determined to hide, but which existed regardless.

  
"Don't be thanking me Shinji. I see this as a challenge. I don't know for sure if there's anything that even _I_ can do for her..."

  
"But you're going to try, and that's all I can ask for," he said, still maintaining eye contact with her. She considered his statement curiously for a moment, before tilting her head to the side slightly in a gesture of curiosity.

  
"So what's the deal with you two anyway? You sure seem to look out for her more than anyone else. Your not stalking her or anything are you?" Shinji blinked in surprise at the question, and turned his head back to face forwards again, giving himself a couple of seconds to consider the question.

  
"I guess... she's like me. I know what it's like to have no one... but that's all she's ever known, and there's no way that I want her to remain like that." Asuka's eyebrows drew together in a thoughtful frown at his words. The almost dejected way in which he spoke told her volumes about himself where as the words did not. She too was familiar with what it was like to have no one... but that was a long time ago, and she vowed that it would never happen to her again. Apparently Shinji felt similarly, and her opinion of the shy boy went up a couple of notches. 

  
"I see," was all she said, uncharacteristically without anything more to say. Without much else to really say to each other, they walked on in silence for a couple of blocks before Shinji drew Asuka's attention to one of the numerous entrances to the Geofront. Without any further words to each other, they made their way down to the headquarters of NERV for another grueling afternoon of testing, both feeling better about themselves after their talk and the day's events.

  
**Author's notes:** So... was it worth the wait? Feel free to tell me, as I will eventually get the reviews. This chapter has gone through several dramatic changes from the original, but I feel that they were all for the best. The longer I have to go over my work, the more dissatisfied I am with it and so the more it changes, though again, this is usually for the better... unless it gets to the point where I want to delete it all and start from scratch... but that's really counter productive. Damn... I really have to cut back on these useless rants...

  
No idea when the next chapter will be out, so again, I ask for your patience. It's a lot to ask, I know... but what else can one do? 


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